Newbie wants to pull tranny

[pestwagon]

New here- had the truck a month and resealed/painted the motor.... 292 with 4 speed granny low... all original... Tranny has a few leaks too, want to pull the tranny and detail it...I have the manuals-it appears that the tranny is pulled out up through the floor in the cab- is that right?

Also is there a easy way of taking off the 4 speed gearshift lever with out using the special wrench tool described in the GM manual?

Thanks-my first time and Im looking for the best way to do this...

[Matt's k5]

probally easy out the bottom than the floor thats the way ive done it , i use large channel lock pliers and open them up just slightly smaller then the shifter lock ring, then i push down on top of the lock ring and turn 1/4 turn counterclockwise till it pops up works every time

[63 & 64 Bowties]

Like Matt's k5 said. Push down on the top of the shifter and push down on the tin lock ring while turning the tin retainer ring, then the whole shifter will lift out. Stick a shop rag into where the shifter came out so you don't get crud in it when you pull the trans.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

It comes out the bottom. You remove the floor board. I use an engine crane through the door but some guys put a board across the doors & hang a come-a-long, or wrap straps around the top. This is a lot of work to detail one. Most leaks can be fixed with it in the truck & you can clean it & paint it while it is in the truck.

[pestwagon]

Wrenchbender Ret- if it comes out the bottom then why do I remove the floorboard?

I NEED to pull the tranny-dont want to...long story but Im embarressed to tell you all... see my post on 292 rear oil main seal job under engines section... I wanted to fix my engine leaks and went from this:



to this:




But when I removed the motor I unbolted the pressure plate from the flywheel. Upon replacing the motor (it was a very difficult stab) the bellhousing lined up but the pressure plate and flywheel haven't...and I dont want to pull out the motor again...so I'm gonna pull and detail the tranny in the meantime and replace the pressure plate onto the flywheel correctly and replace the tranny...dont see any other way around this problem...

[Tx Firefighter]

I never fool with removing the floor hump. A jack underneath the trans and drop it out like any other trans.

[pestwagon]

Now THAT'S what it looked like/what I thought...don't know WHY the factory manual says differently...Thanks!!

[Captainfab]

Because with the 4 speed, the shift tower sticks up thru the floor and the trans needs to go straight back until the input shaft is out of the clutch disc,pressure plate, and throwout bearing. In these older trucks with the bellhousing mounted to a crossmember you can't drop the whole engine and trans down so the shift tower clears the floor. So removing the trans cover is the solution.

Originally Posted by pestwagon

Wrenchbender Ret- if it comes out the bottom then why do I remove the floorboard?

[pestwagon]

Well sure enough that's the way it went...pulled out the tranny tonight...UP through the hole in the floor using an engine hoist....pics to follow. Still have a bellhousing to remove and a clutch and pressure plate to remount. Oh, I discovered bad U-joints so the driveline is gonna be freshened up too...It never seems to end. Differentials leaking too so.....

[Tx Firefighter]

I've always had good luck with leaving the bellhousing mounted to the engine and crossmember and just removing the clutch parts and flywheel through the openings. It will all drop out the bottom of the bellhousing once you unbolt them.

[pestwagon]

Thanks Tx Firefighter...I thought so...tonight I'll try removing the parts through the bellhousing and recentering the clutch and pressure plate on the flywheel. Pics tonight...

The tranny had all this black gooy stuff on the top of it, like a sealent around the shifter hole and covering the top plate...are all 4 speeds like that? Almost like a sound deadener...

Found a 1959 penny in the ledge of the cover plate (placed there by a GM worker in 1966!) kept it there for good luck...cover had never been removed before...

Anywhere I can purchase an original looking rubber floor pad/mat?

[pestwagon]

Well here's the suammary pics: First I pulled the tranny through the top of the cab using an engine hoist....



Then I cleaned the tranny, and centered the clutch and pressure plate onto the flywheel and then using a dowel as a guide replaced the tranny through the same method (in the cab) changed the gear oil and cleaned up everything underneath (oil soaked because of a rear oil seal problem that is now repaired with no leaks I might add).




Now I have the driveline out...it is an original 2 piece for a 1966 shortbed ...I need to replace the Ujoints and have to find out if the driveline NEEDS to be rebalanced or not...