4 Speed Reinstall From Underneath

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Beams

Beams

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Hello all,

Swapping a833s in a 1965 dart.

I removed the transmission yesterday, and had some struggles getting the upper left (drivers side) transmission to bellhousing bolt out.

There is some floorpan sticking out into the 4 speed hump that I’ll either move or cut.

Just curious if any of you old timers had any tips or tricks for getting that bolt back in, and getting it reasonably tight…something like offset wrench, ratcheting wrench, stubby wrench, more/less patience, etc. Any other ideas are more than welcome.

I appreciate your time.

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Remove the distributor cap and lower the rear of the engine as much as you can without letting the distributor contact the firewall (removing the distributor entirely will gain more clearance, but should not be required, you can also drop the centerlink if it becomes necessary for even more room). This should give you enough space to access and tighten the top bolts with the right combination of extensions and U joints.
 
Professor Fate said:
Remove the distributor cap and lower the rear of the engine as much as you can without letting the distributor contact the firewall (removing the distributor entirely will gain more clearance, but should not be required, you can also drop the centerlink if it becomes necessary for even more room). This should give you enough space to access and tighten the top bolts with the right combination of extensions and U joints.
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Thank you. I did let things drop, but probably not enough. Extremely helpful.
 
Professor Fate said:
Remove the distributor cap and lower the rear of the engine as much as you can without letting the distributor contact the firewall (removing the distributor entirely will gain more clearance, but should not be required,
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I would add... loosen the motor mount bults (the under side should do) so all that movement is not concentrated in the rubber of the mount
 
Dana67Dart said:
I would add... loosen the motor mount bults (the under side should do) so all that movement is not concentrated in the rubber of the mount
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Thanks. I did do that—I just checked to see how much lean I could get, distributor isn’t that close to hitting the firewall. Probably need to loosen more.
 
I had a 1964 Polara 500 with a manual transmission. I used a couple of long extensions and used them as Daves69’s diagram shows. I think I also had to use a universal joint.
 
That couldn’t have been easier! …well maybe… thank you all for the advice!
 
I'm surprised you had a problem with the upper left bolt. On my Barracuda, the upper right one is the most difficult to reach. In fact, it was the bolt that routinely got left off by so-called professional mechanics until I started doing my own mechanical work. Anyway, it took a long extension and a wobble socket or a u-joint hooked to a regular socket to get it. Once I figured that out, it was pretty easy.

Of course, I used to be able to lie under the trans and pull it down onto my chest. Not any more. . . .
 
65 Cuda 340 said:
I'm surprised you had a problem with the upper left bolt. On my Barracuda, the upper right one is the most difficult to reach. In fact, it was the bolt that routinely got left off by so-called professional mechanics until I started doing my own mechanical work. Anyway, it took a long extension and a wobble socket or a u-joint hooked to a regular socket to get it. Once I figured that out, it was pretty easy.

Of course, I used to be able to lie under the trans and pull it down onto my chest. Not any more. . . .
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I have no clue how you did that. I don’t think I’d attempt that. I built a little transmission adapter for my jack. Worked pretty well, actually.

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Yup. Jacks were for holding up the rear of the engine. Would just bench-press the trans up into place. On your back, on a creeper. Boy, are those days gone.
 
I had a 65 Barracuda in my early 20's that someone had done a really nice job of cutting holes in the hump for access to both top bolts. They had made them the exact same size as the hole in a little later Mopar firewalls, where the clutch rod goes from the pedal to the Z bar. They even used the plastic plugs that got put in the hole in automatic cars. The downside to that would have been pulling up the carpet every time you had to get to the bolts. I guess back in the day, the 9 1/2" clutches sacrificed themselves to protect the dinky 7 1/4" diff's till the warranty ran out....lol. I used to do the 833 bench press back then too. Now I'd put it in the "Nope of the day" thread!
 
When I did transmission work, yes I had a very long extension, I think they are 36 inches or thereabout... most times with a U joint or ball and socket swivel type socket or adapter...you generally drop the crossmember let the engine trans assembly hang down and get the bolts out. The distributor cap removal is good advice it will mash
the firewall and crack or break...
 
Only problem I remember is I left the clutch fork out when I reinstalled the tranny thinking I’d gain some clearance and put it in after. Live and learn and swear a lot too.
It only took an hour to pull it out and correct working alone and a senior citizen.
 
65 Cuda 340 said:
Well, I used to be young and strong. I could pick up a 440 block, too. But those days are long gone. (I'm 73 now.)
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I had a 63 Econoline van. The rear main seal leaked bad so I changed out the clutch often.
I used to unbolt it and laying on my back lift it out with my knees and then lower it down to ground level.

I was younger then too!
 
This is the best $100 I have spent lately. Should be able to slide the trans STRAIGHT in without having to bench press it. I'll use it a couple of times and put it on Marketplace.

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