HELP, struggaling

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gtdart

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I'm have problems triing to put my tran up into the pressure plate spline or what ever that's call ( I'm having problems getting the output shaft into the hole) any Ideals? I've been working on this all weekend, i've got a tran jack, blocks the car is up in the air enough so I canfit under it, I just can't get it to fit.
 
I used to do this all the time by myself. The fit is tight. Have you tried pulling it in with bolts. (Trans into bell housing?)
Now that I'm starting to get up in age, (Not the young **** strong kid anymore) I need my wifes help. I do it with a regular floor jack. She'll raise and lower the jack as needed via my needs under the car. I'm lining it up and pushing it in. Shes pulling.

One day I spent 8 hours trying to do it. She came home and helped. Within 10 min.'s a 2 try's, it was a slam dunk.
 
Thanks OHDart. I had gotten a bit fed up when I was younger with women running there trap about how much time and or money I spent without them or on the car or at a bar etc.....
I said to myself, the next one isn't going to be afraid of grease, understands the love affair I have with cars and not a cranky wild women during THAT time of the month. Believe me. When I see girls double over with cramps, my heart bleeds for them. But do not take it out on me!

Well, I got what I wanted. Shes NOT a ***** or anything near that during those times. Told me she didn't care how many stray car I brought home. Just so long as she has a place for her car in the driveway, grease free. (Not good tracking grease in the house. I can dig that. Also the kids trackin in Lord knows what from the driveway isn't good.)
She does brakes without me, help me assemble engines, that tranny gig 3 times now, pumps brakes while reading here nursing books for collage and seldom asks me to cook, though the kids want me to cook more sometimes. (Food dependent of course,)
She knows what a torque wrench is and can twist 90+ lbs. on it without me. (Read, install heads)
The only regret is I can afford her the hers to the his and hers Cuda yet. Though she gives me a vote of full confidence (sp?) on doing a resto on mine and her future car.
Though cars are not her hobby, she enjoys mine.

Don't settle boys!
 
Thanks rumblefish for the ideals I'll try'em. Ye, I finally got my wife out in the pole barn to help me, Its her car I'm working on anyway, she wanted a 4 speed so out came the 3 speed. We also had the engine built up. 318 block bore 40over w/360 heads, 650 double pumper with 4:11 posi rear end. The guys that built it told me it's 325 ci pushing around 400hp. And thats my wifes car. my car its built up that much YET?
 
Good suggestions above, but it also depends on why you are having trouble. If you don't have the disc centered you'll never get the trans in. I'm usually pretty good at eyeballing it, even though I can't hardly see up close anymore. We also had a little trouble here recently with the new pilot bearing in the convertor hub. That puts the pilot surface about an inch closer to the disc. With the limited drop of the 440 in my son's Dart it made it very difficult to get the trans back in. It did take to long bolts into the bellhousing, but I didn't use them to pull the trans in as I was able to push it in then.

As far as women helping. My wife has helped many times over the 24 years we've been married. I get most of my help these days from my youngest son, though.
 
You didnt mention using an clutch alignment tool , if you didnt use one .you do need to. the align. tool should slip in and out easily, i have found that tightening the pressure plate all at once on each bolt isnt allways the best, i have found that drawing the pressure plate down evenly all the way around a little at a time makes it easier to keep the disc centered, using bolts to pull the tranny in can be dangerous, many years ago i broke an ear off the tranny trying it, you can also end up bending the disc. should you choose this method , go easy......
 
Clutch alignment tooooool. Of course. That and a dial indicator for runout. Damn, skipped the basics again.
(Hate checking runout.)

I see Jim's a lucky one too. My kids have a bit of growing to do first.
 
Yeah, lucky or old, take your pick. I can still get down under the car, it's the getting back up again that keeps getting harder. I need to get some of this done soon, too because my son may be gone all summer (I hope so, but only for him..................).
 
I hate it when the shaft won't go in the hole. Anyway, if there is a Chrysler dealer close by you or a old transmission shop they should have the pilot shaft that aligns the clutch plate to the pilot hole "before" you torque the pressure plate evenly. Some of the older 4 speeds you could remove the actual input shaft and use it as the pilot after removing the 4 bolts on the bearing flange and you're left with the input shaft, bearing and the first syncro. But don't quote me. :evil2:
 
Hey guy's thanks for all the info/help. I did use a alingment tool but it still didn't go. But, I haven't got right up under it (bench press) to put the tranny in, thats todays job. Wish me luck, the wife wants to try it out.
 
If there is room, get some long bolts to go into the bell housing and cut the the heads off and champer the ends. These will serve as alingment dowels for the tranny. When it is in, just unscrew one at a time and put the bolts in.

Drain the fluid unless you have a spare driveshaft flange to put in the out put seal, sure is more fun if the lube is not pouring out on you. :) Also, the flange will allow you to turn the input shaft a little (if the tranny is in gear) to help align the shaft with the clutch plate splines.

Finally, a make shift trans jack can be made with a 2x8 (or 2 2x4's) long enough to go from one side of the car to the other and some cinder blocks. You slide the 2x8 under the car and put the trans on it. Then start on one side and place a block under the end of the 2x8 and go to the other and do the same. Continue stacking blocks until the trans is the height you need. You have a completely open area under the car with no jack in the way. Works better on automatics and is a little harder to adjust the angle of the trans.
 
I want to thanks everbody who gave me information on to put or get my 4spd in. I finally got it in , I had to pull it all back out ,bell housing,clutch pressure plate.

I reassembled it to make sure everthing was fitting right,I put alittle lube on the spline and put it all back in, and it all slide back together with alittle help with some long bolts.

Thank you.
 
I had one HELL of a time doing mine, I ended up needing 2 friends unbolted the bell,unbolted the trans from the bell and lined up all of them at the same time because the trans was hitting the tunnel around the trans crossmember... if and when I do again it'll be out of the car or the centerlink would be dropped!!
 
My buddy had a Mach 1 stang...we cut the head off 2 long bolts and put them in the bottom left and right bolt holes...Once we had the trans under we slit it onto the matching studs we created...It made it much easier to align the input shaft and alot lighter too!! Worked on my Cuda too.
 
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