Life's a beach.....shape-shift clutch troubles...

[jackb]

Well, I've been out in the garage for over 2 hours trying to remove the 3 sp/OD tranny in this 63' Cruiser. Seems once I disconnected some linkage and tried the T-O shaft..it is moving....so now I believe the T-O bearing is stuck on the input shaft.....The shaft will rotate about 1/2 an inch (I've only removed one tranny from under the car (T-10) many years ago). I'm struggling. I have a good tranny jack, but got so frustrated with lack of leverage, I just tried it the old fashion way...: 2 hands..! That didn't work either. This baby's stuck on good. I hoped by dropping the inspection plate on the bell hsg I could see up under there, but no way. Starter drive and ring gear look great...mmm. Who's got the solution ?? I'm about to go back and give it "H" and hope I don't break something on me or the tranny. I'm kinda cramped under their leverage-wise....

[jd-stude]

If you are not careful you can break the tube that the throwout bearing rides on. I had a parts car that a family of mice made a home in the bell housing. They were using the hole at the top of the bell housing for a front door. I unbolted the pressure plate and removed the bell housing to get it apart only to discover the broken tube.

Ken

[jackb]

Ken...you got my attention....When I removed the inspection plate guess what's in there: a mouse house..! I have not heard anything pop or crack, so I guess (hope) the tube is not damaged...Anyway, I guess I'll remove the bell housing.., but first the X-member. The mounting bolts are very rusty...I hope I don't round any off...... THX

[N8N]

as long as it is not a T-85 or T-10 that retainer can be replaced... the heavier duty trans seem to be rare for some reason though and that part is different for them... if it is a T-86 I say just get it out of there and deal with what is broken if anything when you get it out.

I see that you said '63 Cruiser with 3/OD, so I'm assuming it's not a T-85, but if it were, you could always pull the engine and trans out of the car as a unit, then remove the bellhousing and trans from the engine, then you would have access to the TO bearing/input shaft. Worst case you could remove the input shaft bearing retainer with the stuck TO bearing at that point and work on it on the bench.

nate

[jackb]

I believe T86...the reason for not removing the entire unit is due to very rusty X-member-to-frame bolts. Last time I performed this extraction I rounded off one of the bolt heads top side...what a beach....Finally got a screw driver head wedged in between the bolt head and frame rail, This car is rusty..hence by earlier concerns of X-member removal. No way now...gonna pre-heat each nut/bolt..and I don't want to chase rusty exhaust bolts etc, etc....SO I'll tip my hat to jimjim..and do it right.....but the CASO on my other shoulder is jabbing me with his pitch fork saying.....?>+&%$#

[studebakerkid]

Anyone working on old cars should have six point sockets and six point wrenches. Sears/Kmart has a sale going on right now. If you use sixpoints and are careful you wont round the old bolts.

[JDP]

I believe T86...the reason for not removing the entire unit is due to very rusty X-member-to-frame bolts. Last time I performed this extraction I rounded off one of the bolt heads top side...what a beach....Finally got a screw driver head wedged in between the bolt head and frame rail, This car is rusty..hence by earlier concerns of X-member removal. No way now...gonna pre-heat each nut/bolt..and I don't want to chase rusty exhaust bolts etc, etc....SO I'll tip my hat to jimjim..and do it right.....but the CASO on my other shoulder is jabbing me with his pitch fork saying.....?>+&%$#

I've had 4 speeds's that had the TO stuck to the collar so badly I had to pull the bell to free it, breaking the rarer collar in the process.

[blackhawk]

A '63 Cruiser with an X-member? I did not know they came with one. Regardless, just want to let you know that I have removed and reinstalled the T86 transmission with OD on my '63 station wagon many times without removing the X-member. There is not a lot of extra space under there but it can be done. I wouldn't take the X-member off. Now that I think about it more, I think the X-member is welded to the frame rails. Guess now I am just not sure what you have.
~Dale

[StudeRich]

I think Jack is just talking about the Engine and Body Support (X) CROSS Member, because he says there are rusted bolts there.

Just be glad we don't have any of those "Text-ers" here, LOL! That is only a common short cut, not text-er speak!!

We only have a couple people that can't put verbs in a sentence!

[jackb]

OK...my update: yes to X-member = cross member (Xmas fart). I do have a complete set of 6-pt sockets, wrenches etc....If you've ever tried to remove the 8 recessed frame-to-crossmember bolts....the top heads of the bolts will not accept anything but an open end, box end (maybe), or vice-grips due to their location in the frame rail(s)......or a screwdriver face when you bungle up like I did on a not-so-rusty group.....but to the continuing story;.......I gave up on trying to remove the transmission (sorry Nate-just don't know how available those collars are..yet), and as a result successfully removed all 8 recessed bolts/nuts with surprising ease (with vicegrips ! up above). However, now due to the floor repair, the pass. side floor/hinge anchor bolt-to-crossmember was covered by sheetmetal.......So I chizeled open the floor repair only to find the very rusty bolt head impossible to reach with any of my tools...so, back to the chizel. Ended up cutting away the floor section that rests on the crossmember out rig. But now the crossmember won't be removed due to exhaust pipe....I don't want to touch the rusty exhaust nuts. So with the member stashed away as best possible, I remove all bellhousing-to-block screws.......To be honest-I gave up there....I made a few tries at removing the tranny/bell unit, I was just too beat, and beat up. Having whacked myself several times good with the big hammer w/ chizel, and monkeying around under there for too many hours, I hoped to salvage father's day....

[N8N]

aren't cars fun?

I'm sure someone has to have a beat and thrashed T86 with a decent nose available. Those trans were pretty common. But hopefully you won't have to resort to that... (you did buy new bolts to reinstall the x-member, yes? Otherwise you'll just have to do this again in 15 years <G>)

nate