I read that people have drilled out part of the firewall, and then could get at it from the inside!!I found myself today using this longa$$ extention, with a swivel, NOT FUN!!!! Anybody know any easier ways? O by the way if you are doing on trans on the floor, Rental max rents these awsome Trans jacks for 15 a day!!!

 

Put the tranny jack up to the tranny, remove the rear mount & crossmember (and distributor cap), then drop the transmission down a few inches. This will allow you to use the extension and swivel socket (vs. u-joint & socket on extension) to get to them more easily.

I'll never willingly do another tranny without a real tranny jack.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, ZZ3 intake, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam, ported World 305 heads, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat & 3" cat-back).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet, GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).

 

I hear you on that one!!!!!!!

 

It's a whole lot easier to get them from above with a short 9/16" box wrench. You can just stand there and reach down and get them. Getting to them from under the car is almost something like work.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

HOW I have no space to be shoving a wrench in from the back?

 

Do the opposite of what five7kid said- jack the tranny up instead and increase room on top to access the bolts.
It makes it easier also to wrap the swivel with electrical tape and get them from the bottom, I agree it's easier to get them from the bottom after dropping the rear of the trans.

 

I can get the passenger side one with a wrench from the top but the drivers side one needs both. Wrench from the top and swivel socket with long extension from the bottom.

Once it's out, make life easier next time with a big hammer. I beat the firewall to give me a little more room.

Lowering the tranny is still the best way.

Since I have a race car, I'll eventually install a removable tranny tunnel to make removal easier. I just haven't got around to it yet.

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87 IROC-Z SuperPro ET Bracket Race Car
461 naturally aspirated Big Block

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Member of the Calgary Drag Racing Association

87 IROC bracket car, 91 454SS daily driver, 95 Homebuilt Harley

 

I have done this many many many times. The top two are taken out from the top, remove the dist first. End of story. Don't try removing the tranny because it's a pain in the a$$ if you break the crossmember bolts, and I've broke plenty without trying. The rest can be taken out from the bottom by using a really long extension and accessing them from the tailshaft. If you don't mind and think you might be doing this quite often then drill holes in the tunnel and get them out from the inside of the car.

BTW This is one of those jobs that just sucks and there's no way around it.

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'89 Red Formula 350- 350 .060 over forged pistons 232* @ .020 cam Performer RPM Holley 750 DP Vortec 1.94 1.50 Accel Coil and dist. Hedman shorty headers Dual Exhaust w/ cutouts 1LE WS6 suspension, wheels, and brakes, 9 Bolt 3.27 Posi Edelbrock LCA's & Track bar subframe connectors 700R4 Harwood snorkel scoop Eclipse Head Unit Delco Bose Speakers 2 12" Pioneer subs w/ 400 watt/chanel amp

[This message has been edited by ATOMonkey (edited July 19, 2001).]

 

Another tip- tighten down a bottom engine-to-trans bolt, one on each side. Right now, those top two bolts are taking a ton of stress. Divert some of that stress to the "easy-to-get-to" bottom bolts.

I pulled an auto trans twice, both were on a 2.8 V6, but maybe this'll help you. To reach the top bolts, this is the combination of tools I used. ALL TOOLS WERE 1/2 INCH DRIVE! The 3/8" drive stuff is too thin, and it twists, absorbing your torque.

Socket --- universal joint --- 24 inch extension --- 7 inch extension --- breaker bar

Once those top bolts are out, don't forget to remove the bottom ones again.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
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it is almost impossible to get the bolts out from the top, with all the wiring BS and the distributer in the way. the way i do it at work is, lower the back of the tranny, almost to the point where the distubuter hits the firewall, then use a 3 ft extenstion with a 9/16 wiggly socket(these things are one of the best tools invented, and alot better than a universal)I have done more tranny swaps at work in the past two months than i care to discuss, and I have found is the easiest/best way to do it. hope this helps.

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Wide Open Till You See God...Then Brake

 

What I did was take the dist out, (this works out better when you change the manifold and carb at the same time, like I did, so the dist was already out), but with it out, it gives you plenty of room. Also for more room, leave the bottom bolts in, and make sure everything else is off in the rear, (except the cross member just in case something funky happens)and jack the tail end up, tilting the motor and trans to give more room.