hey Tom how hard is it to remove the tranny without taking out the engine? How high off the ground does the car need to be? Thanks.

 

i just did it to my auto...i used regular ramps... everything is pretty much right there...yet the bolts are hard to get to most of them except about 3 of them..then getting all the other crap off first..torque arm, exhaust support etc

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Flowmaster 80 series, Random Technologies Cat, 3" intermediate pipe, SS
Hand Made Tips, 3 1/4" out, Accel 8.8 wires, MSD Coil, MSD Ignition Module,MSD 6A Box
Currently Working On:
T5 swap
Next to buy:
Slp dual cold air intake!

1982 z28..
350 4bbl black leather inside and black outside...no mods yet except for maybe the exhaust from my firebird

 

I didn't use ramps; I raised mine up in all four corners with jackstands as high as I felt was safe.

It wasn't bad.. the hardest part was loosening the block-to-bellhousing bolts. I found it difficult until I bought the proper tools! Oh- they take an 18mm socket. You're supposed to loosen them with a lonnnng ratchet extension, and a breaker bar (large non-ratcheting ratchet). This way, you're spinning the breaker bar by the tailshaft of the transmission-- it gives you more room to move the handle.

I tried using my air ratchet at first; it only got a couple bolts... it didn't cut it for the others. Next I tried a breaker bar with a lonnnng 3/8" extension- bad move! The thin extension (long version of the ones that come in socket sets) was "twisting up" with all the power I was giving the breaker bar. I only cracked two free with it...

Next morning my dad took me to Sears, and I bought a lonnnng 1/2" (thick) extension- I guess 20 inches? The sucker was expensive! I also bought a shorter 7" long extension (same thickness), and another 18mm socket (to fit the 1/2" drive of the extension). The breaker bar was already a 1/2" drive.

We got home, and I clicked the socket, two extensions, and breaker bar together. I crawled back under the car, and bang bang bang! The last three bolts came out so easily that I was reallly annoyed I didn't have those '1/2" drive' tools to begin with.

The rest was smooth sailing. I followed the procedure step-for-step in the Haynes 82-92 Camaro/Firebird manual.


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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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Yeah, removing the tranny wasn't too hard (other than some of the bolts), it was just kinda involved. Lots of stuff to do. I just raised the car onto four jack stands and took everything necessary off per the Haynes instructions, except the rear springs. If you don't remove the springs, make sure you disconnect the rear of the torque arm first so that when you undo the front, it doesn't fly up and smash into the floorpan. But yeah, I had the tranny out in a few hours, and it was the first time I had ever removed a tranny on any car.

[This message has been edited by SillyWabbit (edited December 05, 2000).]

 

Actually I had no problems with the torque arm. Seems that if the axle's hanging in the air (tires not touching ground, no jack underneath), there's no load on the torque arm, since the springs are hanging freely. I had no torque arm kick at all.


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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
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

I totally removed the torque arm...

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Flowmaster 80 series, Random Technologies Cat, 3" intermediate pipe, SS
Hand Made Tips, 3 1/4" out, Accel 8.8 wires, MSD Coil, MSD Ignition Module,MSD 6A Box
Currently Working On:
T5 swap
Next to buy:
Slp dual cold air intake!

 

You had to; that's why... all four wheels of my car were in the air. The rear jackstands were "in front of" the rear lower control arms, so both the LCA's and the axle were hanging by the rear shocks. There was no load anywhere on the rear suspension. That's why my torque arm just hung free.. it had no force acting on it.

If the front only is raised, or if the back is raised/supported by the axle, then the torque arm will want to fly upwards.


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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
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!