One Man, On The Floor Transmission Install- So Easy Even An Old, Crippled Guy Can Do It
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2023
- Doing a transmission install on the floor, by yourself is easily one of the trickiest and stressful jobs the average guy is going to come across.
Laying on the ground, under the car and trying to lift the trans onto the jack, then maneuver the jack and keeping everything balanced while directing it all forward to line up with the engine is the definition of suck and can stop many guys in their tracks.
Here's a quick, easy method using a jackstand and a block of wood to make up for the lack of leverage and brute strength that makes this job such a nightmare.
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The first transmission I did was on a '64 Chevy Biscayne when I was 15. My dad told me when he worked on those he'd just drop it on his chest and slide out from under the car. So that's what I did. It almost killed me. When I told mt dad he said" you really did that? I was just joking". All I could say was thanks a lot.
The clutch goes out on the way home from work on a Friday afternoon 35 years ago.
No garage, just the gravel, my wrenches and a Saginaw 3 speed on my chest. I was pinned down, hard.
Besides, I had to go to work Monday, so I was now fully committed!
The stuff we go through to keep the boss happy!!
My uncle used to do that with his torqueflights. Slide them under and lift it up on his chest and bench press it up and hold it with his legs until he had a couple bolts started. 😂
I had a similar situation years ago while taking my wife out to dinner on a Friday night. I SMOKED that clutch BAD hitting a puddle that shouldn't have been that deep(!) with a clutch that was already weak after over 200k miles. Mine was a Mazda 5 speed in a 1990 Ford Ranger 4x4. I nursed the truck back home and we ordered pizza. Luckily, my wife has the patience of a saint and is also a car/truck enthusiast so, she took it all in stride. She didn't help me change the clutch though lol!
I had to bench press my Turbo 400...fun times
Did the same with my 350. Must have been fun with the 400.
@@gerhardbraatz6305
The sad thing was, I of course let my buddy borrow my Jack and it was not returned as promised of course. I literally took chunks of wood and slowly shimmed it until I could climb underneath it then I got it on the pins and jammed my knee up underneath it I started them bolts as fast as humanly possible. Course I'm 56 now so that would be out of the question although I'm still in pretty good shape
I've used rachet straps. Go around the frame or through the doors. With 2, you have a cradle that you can get any angle on any plane, and then you can push the tranny to the engine with one hand.
i did that and it worked great. i wasn't about to balance a tranny on some shitty jack. went in easy as hell
@@bagsflyfree7710 And the best part is when you realize you can just leave it in position when you get it set.
Yep
You should make a you tube video so we can see how that works.
@@TheTreasureGuard If I ever have to replace the clutch again (this is the 4th) I will.
I wish I had the strength and energy I had when I used to pull them up on my chest and bench press them up into place. That was 30 years ago and like Tony said: many traumas and lots of arthritus between then and now.
Thanks for the video Uncle Tony!
I feel you brother, I still those events myself. Edit, feel not still.
I don't think I even saw a floor jack till I was 30. The cars of the '50's and '60's had enough room to pull the eng and trans together, and that's how we usually did it. Otherwise, I was on my back, by myself. For '71, I'm in great shape, but I couldn't do any of that now. 👍
That's how I used to do it put the crossmember on it and just use my knees and bench press it into place! Now that I'm 47 it was 30 years ago before I broke everything in my body several times! Those were the good ol days!😂
I swear trans are much heavier than they used to be😊
Nice! I was going to post the same except it was 45 years ago .... thanks!
You forgot to mention the trick of using both hands to hold and position the trans while you use your foot/leg to raise the floor jack. Good video, always learn something from Uncle Tony.
🤣🤣🤣
I was picturing me having to do that😂
My favorite and most helpful trick I learned and used back in the late 70's was cutting the heads off two long bolts and using them as a guide to slide the transmission on until I got some bolts started. Great video! The good old days!👍
I did a clutch using that technique when I had a bad shoulder and could really only use one arm. The bolts are still in a drawer. I can't make myself throw them away!
@@willcrow2133 😊👍
I had one get jamed from the weight, and since then I ground down the shaft into a square, enouh to get a socket or wrech on the cut shaft. But I have a whole section of home made tools and implements. I cant give em up either lol. The best ones though were for vacuum diagnostics. Check valves and check valves and Ts and all. I still use that think for finding vacuum leaks, without fancy electro angry pixie machines
Videos like this keep me motivated to get my project done. Because I'm not one to always ask for help, but when I do, I'm always pleasantly disappointed.
When asked about my Car.. 68 Dart Grandma special.. my buddies.. like telling dudes ,, bro he did all that himself.. proudly..
Yeah.. but I asked you for help remember 😅
@@AtZero138 can't even get people over with pizza and homebrew beer. Lol
@@Hops_n_Wrenches That sucks!! Never a reason to turn down beer and pizza.
@@Hops_n_Wrenches Damn Shame Brother.. I do get asked to change oil and Brakes etc.. hahaha that's Ironic I think 🤔
Same. Help everyone else every time. I need help? Zzz
I used to keep 3'x 6' lengths of carpet remnants around. I could cut them to whatever size I wanted or keep them large to just lay on, real comfy. Then to slide things under the car, I would turn the carpet pile-side down and it made it pretty easy to pull whatever it was under (or out from) the car. Need to put the hood on the driveway? Use some strips of the carpet. Unexpected oil leak? Use the carpet. Used to get odd ends of carpet really cheap.
That won't work well with short shaft Th400s and Th350s such as are in A and F body GM cars. The bellhousing does not exist under the converter either. In my younger days I would slide the transmission under the car, place the floor jack behind it, lift the tailshaft with one hand and pull the jack under the pan with the other, keeping the trans from sliding with a knee. I am a bit more burly than most people, and I could bench them in there easily, but its hard to start the bolts while holding it in there. Also doing everything alone, its best to not get a Th400 or 4L80E wedged between the vehicle and you, resting on your rib cage. Them 4L80Es are HEAVY... as in H E A V Y heavy.. with that lock up converter full of fluid in there.
When I built my shop in 2015 at the ripe old age of 46, I splurged and bought a two post lift because I do LOTS of transmission, engine, and brake line work up here in Da Up Nort Eh. Rather than having a transmission jack sitting around taking up space, I made a fixture to fit my engine crane and I tell ya what, that thing works slicker than snot on a doorknob. All I have to do is lift the transmission about 36 inches and put it on the fixture. Its a lot more stable than one of those tall transmission jacks, and you can put tools on it as well as use it to drain the pan too. One tool rather than four tools, because my shop is full of engines, transmissions, wheels, tires, cars, and all the other stuff needed to build hotrods.
I did so many things on the floor, in parking lots, without a roof or walls, having to haul my tools into the apartment every time I had to go somewhere for anything so they didn't walk off while in the USAF that I made it my life's mission to build a shop I can work in, with all the tools I need. I sacrificed quite a bit just to have the shop, built it first, my house second because it was that important to me.
Tony, been doing my own repairs since 1975, have studied DVs books for years, watch your channel because every once in a while, you teach me a new trick.
Thanks.
Tip: ATV Jack works great as a transmission Jack; with the pump handle facing the front of the vehicle it both lifts the transmission UP and Towards the engine at the same time. 👍
And sweep the floor clean before you get under there so nothing gets in the way of the floor jack wheels! 😮
Tony, you need to return those old ratcheting jackstands to Harbor Freight and get the new, safer ones which have a holding pin to prevent the ratcheting mechanism from accidentally dropping the vehicle. Harbor freight takes the old ones back with no questions back and gives you a refund or a store credit. With the recent Memorial Day sale, the new safer jack stands did not cost me anything because of the discounts.
"THIS RECALL ONLY CONCERNS JACK STANDS WITH THE ITEMS # 56371, 61196, or 61197"
They ratchet one way, and if they fail it's not like they will bottom out on the floor.......
@@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism correct it was the welded core legs that were failing not the ratcheting concept. if you look closely they are now one solid piece of molded metal.
Transmission jacks are borderline cheap, this is a great workaround, but I use that transmission jack for other things like rolling my welder around lol
I left basically the same comment. The HFT transmission jack is well worth what it costs and is great for a lot of things. Mine has done more gas tanks than anything.
Lol, I'm 50 yrs old and watching this gave me anxiety. Growing up in the 70's I was told by my father at 7 yrs old he needed a hand putting in a transmission in his 73 Nova SS. Worst hour of my life, and at 7 years old I was called everything but a white man. What's worse is he was a licensed mechanic as well. Always loved cars up until that point.
Had to help my Dad install a aux fuel tank on a 71 chev 3/4 ton pick up I was 10 yrs old......Got called all those same names....Feel your pain.
Lmao. Sorry for laughing but that is hilariously horrible.
I was always wanting and trying to help whenever The opportunity arose. I must have squished my fingers half a dozen times before I was 10 from thinking I was helping move something after he specifically told me to stand clear. Every time we’d have to stop the project for stitches or whatever.
Although he had some pretty intense anger issues by today’s standards he never directed it at me. As an adult I often look back thinking what he was calling me under his breath. Lol
All of a sudden I miss my dad,
Typically how it goes. Just be grateful that you had a dad...
I was putting a trans in a truck in my driveway on the ground. I was under the truck and door to door salesman were trying to have me change my gas company, speaking to me while I was under the car. I literally blew my top and called them a few choice names🙃
Trans jacks are cheap now, i used to use a transmission jack adapter head on a floor jack but only works on big lifted trucks with lots of ground clearance. The budget hack is 2 2" ratchet straps, looped frame to frame one under the tailshaft housing one under the bell housing. Pull the strap tight as you can, that ratchet it up tight. Move the the other strap and repeat, pulls the trans right up into the tunnel. THEN slide the floor jack under the pan or case (auto or manual) and adjust as needed. This method i have found is best in a gravel parking area, no need to try and move the jack and the trans at the same time, jack just makes the minor changes in elevation
Works dang well on concrete too!
I did a 91 camaro RS transmission transplant it was a 305 w/ 700R4 trans with only floor jacks and from that day on I never messed with a trans without a lift. I had to pay my bodybuilder cuz $50 to muscle it in I had about 6" of working space there was no room for your trick to work in my application. Its still a great idea Tony given the right application.
That wrench holding in the torque converter. is an awesome tip. Thats the kind of stuff that keeps us tuning in. ( well , and the ramen noodle video). Thanks Uncle Tony
I remember being 15 years old putting a 904 into my 74 valiant, with my pipe cleaner arms, 100lb soaking wet body, My dad didn't believe in buying tools, so all I had to work with was combination wrenches, and phillips screw drivers to line up the holes, and I used 2x4's to lift the tranny up. It was an awful job, junkyard tranny didn't last long, so I had to do it again about a year later.. I didn't know anything about how the tranny worked, all the manuals I got from the Library said "takes special tools, you can't do this, take it to professional" The parts stores with new manuals had them in plastic, wouldn't let you open them to see if the info you needed was in there before purchase. I had no access to the information on how to take apart, and diagnose the issues. VERY frustrating. Now, I've rebuilt a couple, and they really aren't that complicated. When I asked older people who seemed to know, most of them didn't know either, and the few who did just told me to take it to someone. Boomers were NOT helpful at all to us Gen X'ers. We had to learn everything for ourselves.. I guess since we were all latchkey kids, the abandonment needed to be complete, HA! Anyhow, I survived, and I still have that car, just need to get to a place where I can work on it.
Great tips Uncle Tony! I wish I would have known someone like you who was willing to help even just to answer questions, instead of telling me I was an idiot back in 1989.
Oh yeah. I am 60 years old, my Dad owned an automatic transmission shop when I was a kid. He started it in 1960. By around 1975 I started working there with him. We had no lifts. We did it on the floor. We did everything on the floor. Guess who's job it was jack up all of the cars? Yeah, mine. Dad's been gone for 30 years now, I miss him terribly. I wish I could wake up and be at his shop again.
UT you make hard for today’s technology. Four ratchet straps is all you need.
Two to the cross member and two for the front hung off the frame. Take one at each end and tighten them then pull the slack out of the other two and repeat until it’s in place.
Once you try this you will swear by it.
I installed a locomotive gear stub shaft assembly today doing this.
Greetings from the high plains of Texas.
My grandfather (God rest his soul) made a special plate to go on a floor jack to make the job of wheeling a transmission around and putting it in place a cinch. All he did was weld an 18"x18" plate onto a floor jack peg that he cut off from an old jack cup. You put the transmission on, strap it down if you like, and it rolls around easy peasy!
TONY WHERE WAS THIS TWO YEARS AGO?????? I Figured this out on my own after a few hours of swearing!!!!!!! Haha It's vindicating knowing that I had the right idea with the teeter totter 2x4 scrap method! Thanks for the video. And I only dropped the transmission ONCE. The dent in the pan must be from road debris LOL
Took A 994 out of a 72 van, rebuilt it, and put it back in. Did it all by myself. I also cut the head off a bolt and put a slot in it so I could take it out once a a few bolts were in place. I have used that created dowel pin a few times and it's still in my tool box. Ya do whatcha got a do when you are by yourself.
I used to slide under, pull the trans under, pull it up onto my chest and belly and then bench-press it up and hopefully have a friend put in the 1st bolt! But I put the 1st one in myself a couple of times and it wasn't easy.
been there done that.. now im too old and fat. lol😂
@@hollowell427 Well, that and 10 surgeries! LOL
Old crippled guy? That's me! I am 66 years old and have a '66 Dodge with a Torqflite. I also have tall jack stands and transmission jack. Example shown here reminds me of what I used to do years ago. Back in the '70's many decades ago when I was a tough young muscular hot rodder, I remember setting the transmission on my chest to lift it up into position while I reached up and started threading in the bolts. I honestly don't know how I managed to do that, but I did. It would kill me if I tried that now
This was how the pyramids were built. Securing the converter with a bolt and wrench, I never thought of that.
I had forgotten how many times I used blocks and levers (boards), to do all these Tranny Jobs in the old days at home in the driveway or garage....wow! This reminds me of another time , a friend and I pulled a 390 out of a Galaxie 500 with a chain and a 2" piece of pipe. Thank God the heads were off before we gave it a go. I think each of us had over 200 lbs on each end and walked up and over the radiator support. I miss being 22 yrs old and not so brilliant, ..... maybe, but very motivated.
The wooden plank way my dad and I used to use to pull and replace Corvair motors.
Back in the 80s I was a bodybuilder I would get the vehicle up high enough so I could set the trans on my chest and bench press it in, I have to add I was working in a dirt drive way..
I found tie wire to be an easy way to keep the torcconverter in place
Oh no I can't Tony, not anymore! But that is the way I was doing it back in the 70s and 80s, when I wasn't at the shop anyways. Dig yer show brother.
I've got a transmission jack... makes it a breeze.... one problem though , is trying to remember who I've loaned it to...🤔
Now that is old school!
I use an ATV jack for the ones I did on the floor
Uncle Tony doing that "draw me like one of your French girls" pose.
Done a few on the back, the trans precariously balanced on a floor jack, using a long screw driver to inch that jack into the proper position, the whole while praying it didn't fall onto my chest, arm or hand.
The struggle builds intestinal fortitude!!
Good times!!
Ha, Ha. I just got through putting my T5 back in my 66 mercury and am taking a lunch break. I am 61 and used my trusty floor jack and the wife to push in the clutch while I sent the tyranny home. Fun on your back!
Having a concrete floor to lay on alone is much better than what I've had to lay on for most of the times of having to crawl under a vehicle for any reason, including putting engines and transmissions back in, heck sometimes just a cardboard box is a luxury for me. If only I had a nice concrete pad under a good shade tree, then I could actually roll my floor jack.🙂
I did my first several transmission R&Rs on a sheet of 1/2" plywood. Way better than just dirt or gravel. 😆
I love cardboard. You can slide on it easy too....
My low point was doing a Crown Vic trans in the grass. I had to put plywood down to keep the jack stands supported.
When I was younger, I would muscle it up on my chest and then just lift it into place. Oh the glory days. Now I have an adapter plate (an old flywheel) mounted to my floor jack. Good info Tony. Love your channel. Keep it coming. I really like the mission impossible build. Great idea.
You don't have to use something as heavy as a flywheel, just a 3/16" thick square of metal cut to whatever size you think fits your normal use, maybe even have some ears with holes to hook a ratchet strap to , and a 3/4"bolt welded to the bottom of the plate and a big washer and nut to replace the normal lift plate on your floorjack.
@@davidkeeton6716 or a piece of rubber on the jack to grab the pan and stop it sliding
You are getting too old to be working on the deck. It is time to get a lift. You are not getting any younger. Great job sir.
No kidding. I would legitimately contribute money towards getting him a lift lol
Don't piss him off. Lol
I am 70 and will be working on the floor until Stanford picks up my body for anatomy cadaver.. A disease locked up my neck and lower spine so on the floor is the way I go. My main concession to comfort is a cardboard side of an old refrigerator box
I’m sure he has more than enough for a couple lifts 😅
everybody should have access to a lift and more people should own them. it makes the job 100x easier for a long list of reasons too long to type.
I did a few trans back in the seventies both manual and auto. Now I drive a four cylinder front wheel drive car. I don’t even know where the transmission is. 😂
Some of em actually aren't too bad.
Old VW rabbits ,I could knock em outta there in like 90mins, even the stuff into the late 90s early 2k wasn't too bad as far as the vws and crap I messed with.
An elusive oil leak on one rabbit had me r+r that sucker about 4x, I got it down to 40 mins with air tools 😂
@@MrTheHillfolk I have an Accord CVT. I actually know where it is and I change it’s fluid ahead of schedule. I’m in no hurry to find out how to remove it. I took a chance with the CVT in 2013, when I bought it new. According to people on the owners website, some have got nearly 300,000 miles out of the CVT. So I feel good about that. A muscle car it is not.
@@blipco5 well the thing I liked with those foreign jobbie vws is a rabbit transmission weighs about 75 pounds , and will take 200hp for quite a while if you're not a madman.
200hp ,we didn't have that but it was nice to know ,that'll make a 1800 pound car move decently.
I didn't need nearly the equipment to lift stuff because it wasn't as heavy.
@@MrTheHillfolk When I happen upon a Rabbit these days it freaks me out how chintzy they were. I had a Fiat 128 back in the day, which was about 1800 pounds. The doors were a total of two inches thick. I don’t know what engine it had but it’s top speed was 85 mph. It was surprisingly smooth. Could run topped out all day long.
This is the ultimate “work smarter not harder” video for transmission installation.
Tony, at the end of these videos you should close with “Here endeth the lesson.”
Thank you!
Back when I was 18, I blew out one of the clutch damping springs on my 94' Mustang. This happened around 10oclock one night, and had to start it in gear, then float gears all the way to where I was going (clutch would not disengage because of the spring being between the pressure plate and clutch disc). I had a 10x20 storage unit that I kept tools and such in, and so there I was at around 11:30 pushing this thing into the unit by myself (It was the ONLY smooth concrete I had available to work on at the time).
The next morning, I rolled down there in my "daily driver" (ironic because I only drove it when the mustang was broken), and tasked myself to pull the trans. I had a floor jack, but I was relatively inexperienced and didn't trust myself to balance the T5 on the jack by myself (funny, being a professional diesel tech now, I'd have just bench pressed that baby trans in and out of there)..
ANYWAYS, Long story short. I removed the 12mm allen that held the "puck" on the jack, and put a old brake rotor in place of the puck. Gave me all the surface area I needed to hold the trans and I had the job knocked out in a few hours. Later on I welded a flex plate to the spare jack puck and still have that as a trophy in my garage to remind me of my stupid creativity.
Working smarter doesn't always mean spending money.
The cool thing about UA-cam University for old guys is remembering the time you learned his lesson the hard way when there was no UA-cam University. Good on ya Tony!
The 2x10 comment made me laugh. Circa 1973 I’m replacing clutch in buddy’s 1968 Dart GTS 273, 4sp
We ran the passenger side tires up on the curb behind our dorm. Stole a 10 ft 2x10 from construction site nearby. With 2by on the curb also Buddy levered up tranny from driver’s side while I laid underneath and lined up splines bolts etc 😂😂😂
Got a low profile transmission jack a few years ago at an auction. Best thing I ever bought. Just set the trans on, set the plate at the right angle. And slide it under, up, and forward.
Warning for new guys. The clearance between the filter pickup and pan is very small. Dented the pan? Take it off and fix it!
I welded a pin to a plate and replaced the cup on the floor Jack to spread the force. Prevent the dent. But yes fix the dent if you make one.
Thats Great! I'm 65 and had to put a 5 Speed manual in my Truck. Used 2 ratchet straps connected to both sides of the frame.
And for you viewers in the southern Illinois farm rurals, remember to unbolt and remove the combination wrench which holds the torque converter in place _before_ installing and tightening the transmission-to-engine bolts.
Good stuff. Years ago I R&R’d a 4WD manual transmission with a married transfer case on my own, it took 2 separate jacks, a ratchet strap, and allot of patience 😂
Excellent , Tah Dah !
Thanks for the trans install tips, Im 63 and am putting a trans in today, so your video is money bruh. Thanls
Very Helpful demo for the "Solo" mechanic trying to Wrestle a heavy, bulky trans Safely into Position !! ..... I've used a 12" square board Between jack Pad & Pan to help Balance......A couple of Pointed extended Bolts or rods really Helps alignment !! .....Thx for video....
Hey Uncle Tony,
Last time I did this was 1971 in northern Ohio in the dead of Winter changing the clutch in my 1967 Fairlane GT.
Being a Gearhead who is old and works alone thank you for the tip, I may be having to do this again very soon.
From my garage to yours! Liked and subbed!
Nobel prize for this man, NOW!
I bought a transmission jack from one of those tool places for my last project and was worth every dollar I kicked myself for not getting one sooner. So simple put the trans pan on the platform throw the strap over it to hold it in place wheel it under. The platform has adjustments for front to back angle and left to right. I could not believe how easy it was to jack it up in after years of doing stuff like Tony is doing and fighting with getting the angles right. I get it if you don't have the $$ but some things are just worth having.
The idea of the studs in the engine block. I have a box of different thread "pilots" that I made over the years swapping engines and transmissions. Working by myself under cars, this made aligning them a whole lot easier. I just took long bolts, cut the heads off and ground the end to a rounded point. I'm with Tony on the facts of aging with arthritic joints and worn-out muscles from the abuse of my younger days.
@One Eyed Jack Definitely, I forgot to mention cutting or grinding the heads off of a couple of tranny bolts so l could catch my freakin' breath. Good call Jack.
Oof, Im not a fan of heavy line work these days. After three motorcycle wrecks, two of which were semi fatal, Im just not as hard core as I used to be. Reasons why I only ride the cruisers not the crotch rockets anymore. I use an motorcycle jack as a trans jack these days. Works like a charm. I do like the plank trick though in a pinch. Good stuff, Tony. Keep up the good work.
…im 24 and although iv changed the clutch in this car before but with a professional car lift and some help with my stepdad at his shop when I was 17….im doing it alone laying on the ground now now and this is by far one of the best easiest ways iv seen of doing it. Thank you
Lol, I’m 67 years old, recently changed the flex wheel on my 2001 F 250 by myself with a walking boot on one leg while recovering from severe stress fractures. Best part is the truck was on grass, working top of a 4x8x3/4 plywood. after getting the wheels off the ground and floor jacks on the plywood under the chassis I proceeded to remove driveshaft, place floor Jack under trans, remove trans cross brace I removed torque converter bolts, bell housing bolts and separated trans from engine block pulling it away far enough to get impact air wrench in the remove flex wheel bolts. Reverse process and done in one afternoon while on my back, hampered by big plastic boot by myself. Nothing but a thing!
Uncle Tony... thank you for donating your body "for" science!
Not Bad! Thanks Uncle Tony! I almost lost mine last time! Lol 😂
I was in my early 20s, doing this alone with an XE Falcon, 4.1 Crossflow (Australia). Front of car raised on drive on ramps only, gravel floor, T5 laying on my chest, never again.
When I first started driving, I got a 67 camaro to drive. Well I had girlfriends to go see and I worked on that thing relentlessly. Tranny, rear end, broke valve springs and learned it all by reading car magazines. So thank all you car guys for teaching us how to do it thanks
Good Video! Right to the point, no garbage and kept my interest! Plus I am getting set up to do this job, by myself just like you, ad I learned a couple of new things. Always open to advice from some one who has done the job. Thanks!
Good video! I have done some variation of this in the past, but the wrench bolted to the bell housing to keep the converter from sliding out is a great tip. I have had them slip out a time or two, and that can be a pain in the ass.
I used to be able to "bench press" a TH400 into place in my 20s. Not any more. Now I have a harbor freight trans jack. I put the trans on the jack first and wheel it under the car, with the car on really tall jack stands (2 feet!). So much easier!
2 weeks ago I was using the plank and block method. I ended not having enough blocks. Now I own the same jack you’re using. No, the transmission still isn’t in yet😂
To build upon Tony's idea here, lay the other way and use your legs/feet to pump the jack handle, then you get both arms free to hold and maneuver the transmission. I do it that way when I can or if there is room
I'm 71 years old. Did a lot of drag racing in the 70s. We built our 340 short blocks in my mom's basement! My buddy built his 440 in his basement. That was a ball buster getting that up the stairs with 4 guys ! I did a 904 Trans by myself on a 65 Dart. I would drop it down on my chest! Going back in was a little harder. The 727s I'd use my floor jack. Those were quite easy. The real bastards were the A833 cast iron 4 speeds! I'll take an automatic any day.
Tony, you can't fool me ! You make look easier than it is . Haha . Used to put Ford top loader 4 speeds in with it on my chest and just doing a bench press with it , catching some studs on the bell housing. Lots of fun! They were cast iron , not like the Chevy aluminum Muncies.
Bench pressed a BW T-19 into a F-100 back in the 70s. Why I can barely move now days! Tony isn't fooling me, as well.
Hey Tony,
Tim here, when i was 17/18, i cud r&r a tranny BY MYSELF in about 2- 2 1/2 hours........i didnt use ur method here, i wrestled it under the car, on to jack......ur method wudda save sum cussin!!....but i cud do it.......i'm 57 now......uh, we got lifts and such, but if my T-400 needs attention for some reason (its a bulit dude, racing clutches/steels, man valve body), and i gotta do it in my garage by myself, i will remember this vid...GREAT content my brother!!......PEACE to you sir!!
I like the wrench on the converter trick. After wrestling the OD trans out of my Ram a few years ago that little 3 speed is like a toy. Transmission swap is the near future.
Uncle Tony is my hero!!! Lets see how many people can do this today. Not many. I 've done stuff like this hundreds of times. With limited tools. No jack. Just a bunch of wood blocks. Its not just strength, but being able to engineer how to do it. This should be used as a test for political office. IT would really shake things up!
I love you brother man. This is the crazy guy traveling all over in his vw rabbit pickup with the intercooler in the hood.
You inspired me to wrench again and I’m makin bank hustlin with a smile on my face.
My first day I wore my UTG monk shirt.
❤️🫡👌
This brings back old memories of using the thighmaster technique to to remove the 727 from my roadrunner, change the front seal, and reinstall. Doing this in my dorm parking lot in 100 degree weather ..... priceless!!!
After helping with a few R&Rs with floor jacks and 2x4s and all of that, I learned that even the cheapest transmission jack is worth it (looks like the current comparable model to mine is $230 at HFT). The tallest stands you can find help a lot too.
The tips, tricks, and shortcuts are all great... until you have one where something goes wrong. I had a manual re-install job where the clutch alignment tool would go into the pilot bushing just fine, but was _slightly_ peened over to the point that the actual input shaft didn't fit it anymore. It took _forever_ to figure out what the problem was. I must have he-manned that transmission up and down a dozen times before it was done. Sliding it into the clutch, it falling off the jack, holding it up with one hand while fumbling with the jack with the other while praying it didn't crush my head or fingers... 🤣 Once that was over, there was a transfer case to put up too.
Transmission jacks are fantastic for dropping gas tanks too... which is the next job mine has to do. It's done more gas tanks than transmissions now that I think about it.
so true man...done a many ol school way.....till a few years back on a 350 turbo on my back and it slid front side/converter on to the ground and cracked the case....cost me for what a cheap harbor freight job would had cost me.
Motorcycle jacks work great too! They are nice & flat w/ 2 skids to work with for BOTH applications!
@@mikethomas5797 THIS is what I found out about 25 years ago.....having a motorcycle jack and TALLLLLLL jackstands is key to making things easier.....and making studs out of blots(yes, I know...I always speel it that way)to slide the trans onto
@@chrishensley6745 I was always more worried about crushing my skull than damaging the case, but... also that! 😆
Did this twice last summer. A t-5 and a Saginaw cast iron four speed. Both solo, and I'm 75.
Ratchet straps are your friend. You still have to balance the trans on the jack while jacking with the other hand, Its still a PITA. Ratchet straps attached to the frame or looped thru the interior with the doors open if no attachment points under car. They hold it stable and can be used to lift it up to get a jack under it for the final lift. Ive even used ratchet straps to install front coil springs on GM cars
Scores of Auto trans, VW bug engines, even a Corvair once. All done with the Charles Atlas bench press method.
But now I am old and kind of crippled. Blocks and leverage and patience from here on out.
l have done that just as man times as you have. And yes a few times it fell off of the hack stand or the block of wood. But eventually l would get it on the jack and then jack it up into place. and just about always used bolts with the head cut off to guide the trans in place. This also worked really good for stick shift trans.
Great video. Thank you. I’ll remember tips like threaded guide rods and holding the T/C in place with a bolt & wrench when I replace the C-4 in my ‘67 mustang, hopefully soon.
My worst solo trans install was a 74 Volvo 164. I think it was a Borg Warner. I know it was big and heavy. Even as a young guy it was a bear to do alone with a floor jack. And the minimal firewall clearance only added to the suck factor.
Great observation about the lack of specialty shop tools, due to high cost, among home mechanics. Came down to borrow or innovate or split the cost with a buddy.
At 66 years old, I’ll be buying a transmission jack from HarborFreight next week. Some things get better with age.
Video brings back memories of replacing a clutch in a friend's Charger 440 Magnum with a 4 speed. We were working in the underground parking of my friend's apartment building. The weather was late winter/early spring. Car up on some cheap stamped steel jack stands, I was a good thing that we were both young and skinny. We got the transmission removed and the new clutch installed. Now trying to install the transmission, the weather outside warmed up to where the snow started melting. We had a river of water running under the car where we were trying to work. Not wanting to lay in the cold water we stole a sheet of sheetrock from the apartment building maintenance. Thinking this would be a quick job. Bench pressing the transmission into place we could not get the splines to line up. Now we had tilted the tail down and lube had run out. To make things worse the sheetrock had started to dissolve, and we are laying in cold water with gear lube and white melted sheetrock. We finally got the transmission installed after lots of swearing. Young and dumb with very little money.
I bet it looked like I was humping my 46RE trying to get it up onto the ATV jack I used to do mine on the garage floor. Doing crap alone sucks sometimes when you get older.. Haha Great video UT!
Just used this method on my '64 Dodge. Wish I had figured this out 50 years ago!! THANKS!!!
My best friend, who was my uncle, showed me a lot of similar tricks. It was to his advantage, as I think I've pulled and replaced 8 transmissions for him. Put a piece of 1/4" plywood on the floor and the trans slides easy from under and back under the car.
Earlier we used a bridge and were holding and lifting the gearbox up and up. Two men. What a hell. The day after I woke up with a eureka moment: We should have unbolted the gearbox, then lower the car, let the engine rest on a crate or jack stand and use a jack to lower and remove the gearbox. That would have been a lot easier and less exhaustive.
All my early cars were manual transmissions which don't have a flat bottom. When I took the gearbox out the engine lays down at the back a bit when the rear gearbox mount is undone. I would then block the front of the engine so it could not return to level. It was not straining the engine mounts much. I would then change the pad on the trolley jack to a bug flat piece of wood I had with two vee shaped wedges screwed to it. That went under the gearbox and an old leather belt went over the gearbox so it could fall off. Then I could loosen the last bell housing bolts and pull it and the jack out. Going back in was the reverse but making sure I used the clutch plate aligning tool and two guide studs like you suggested. I used this method at my home for ages until I built a new home and I put a service pit in the garage. that was in the 80's. My son has just built a new workshop at his home and it has a car hoist. I say it was $2500 very well spent and that's where I do any of my car work now.
That's a good video ! I'm older and weak ! I've been sick, lost all my muscle mass. So doing this by myself is going to be harder than ever ! But gotta do it, nobody to help me. I did buy an adapter but that makes it very high off ground, I got it out without the adapter, just balanced it like u did. Going back in is another story! But I'm without a Vehicle, so I'm starting this Monday 10-2-23 thank you for your info !
That's a great install tip!
When I was young I did some stuff like that, or when even younger, helping my father pull an automatic in the snow. Cannot imagine doing that now. I do a lot of my own mechanical work, but I've also got a good relationship with a local independent mechanic (he's got tools, lifts, and helpers) for that kind of job.
I am very tall 6’8” I use to lay with my head to the rear roll the transmission on to my thighs, work my feet towards me like a jack lifting and sliding the transmission onto my knees and slide it into place.
If you have some extra starter bolt cut the heads off and round the tip make grate studs for lining up a transmission!
Did my first transmission R&R in the snow on dirt. Got it all out, couldn’t really find a problem. Got the flywheel surfaced, installed a new clutch and pressure plate, put it all back together in sub freezing weather on my back in the dirt. No change. Still couldn’t get the clutch to function correctly. Ended up being the jackshaft. One of the arms was tearing off of the torque tube, ten minutes with an arc welder and the truck was fixed and I was a much wiser mechanic.
Don’t just replace parts. Evaluate, troubleshoot, diagnose. Then repair what is actually at fault.
There is a channel called Pakistani Truck, where we see all levels of truck repair carried out in dirt lots, wearing sandals and using simple methods like this. Love it.
I'm always looking for a better way. Thanks man.
I had done this so many times, and I had flash back and passed out, lol
Don't forget to have a few cold beers before you begin, never hurts to take the edge off.
From someone that has blown a few 3 speed column shift F100 transmissions; UTG is lubbing many viewer up for EMBRACING THE SUCK!
If I ever drop the clutch on an automobile again I'll epstein myself!
Edit: Without having a lift installed in my garage first....
It isn't bad if you have 3 hands.
Damn, that was good, especially for a beat up old guy...
Sometimes it 😢is easiest with just one guy .
Yo Uncle T. Under the Charger again .