You’ve got a couple of challenges here. I have one of the Harbor freight scissor lifts and a quick lift. The scissor lift is useful, but kind of flimsy. The higher you raise it, the more terrifying it gets. I think it will be fully extended under the quicklift with your auto tranny. If you go this route, only use it to lower the transmission once you’ve separated it from the motor. A 1/2 inch ratchet fits the socket on the lift so I’ve used my impact gun to lower it in a hurry. Raising the new one is exciting.

You’ll have to brace the motor before you remove the transmission. Otherwise it’ll tip back and damage your fan and distributor. A 2x4 or two under the oil pan and a jack or jack stand works well for this.

When I installed my 200 4R I used a jack adapter. Certainly more solid that the scissor lift but I found that the post on the adapter only fit the largest floor jacks. Iirc, I had to buy a Craftsman 4 ton. Sold that and the adapter on Craigslist after I finished the job.

I think the key part is to have some help. I solo installed my 4 speed auto with the trans adapter but it was dicey at times. I removed the transmission with the Harbor freight scissor lift with the help of my son. It was, perhaps, a little more dicey. Luckily, the trans tunnel keeps it from tipping over at max height.

If you go the scissor lift rout, scrap the straps. These are useless and unworkable in the tight confines of a Vette. If you use a piece of wood, it won’t fall off and the straps won’t help if it tips.

 

I have pulled mine more times than I'd care to admit, for replacement or stall changes and always alone, and without the proper tools...…...I found some aluminum square stock and made a set of legs that I bolt to the tranny bell housing sort of creating a tripod once the trans is in position under the car.. Then maneuver the floor jack with plywood under and finesse until the tranny is balanced. With the floor jack under the trans, and another under the engine I can lift and guide the tranny up into the tunnel close to the engine. Then I remove the legs, and bolt everything together.

Make small adjustments to the jack positions at a time, because obviously the trans is just balanced on the floor jack. I am for sure not saying this is a sanctioned procedure …..but it does work and I have never dropped the trans doing it this way.

 

I did miss that difference. Hopefully once you get it in the air, you'll have enough clearance.

DC

 

I'm pretty sure I'll have the clearance. Here's a photo of the car on the lift. As you'll see I work in tight quarters.



The tranny pan is already 20.5" off the floor. When I raise the back up the rear will lift about 12 inches higher than where it is now putting the tranny pan about 6 more inches up. So, then I'm dealing with getting something 27 inches up to reach the pan. Where this is sending me is either an expensive jack with more lift or possibly not raising the back and just seeing if I can get the tranny to slide out the front. Once I drop the tranny, the lowest spot it would have to get under going forward in the car is the back of the oil pan which is 21.5". The question then is would the tranny on the jack full down fit under that. Or, the option of lowering the jack and then wrestling the tranny off it and sliding it forward. On line I found a measurement from bottom of the pan to top of the bell housing of 16.25". If that's close to correct I should be able to get it out. And given that the 4l60e should be similar, I should be able to get it slid back. But it seems I'd have to wrestle one off the jack and the other onto it, under the car.

I wish my brother lived closer. I helped him swap 2 tranny's on is '74 Camaro back about 1976. I figure he owes me.

 

It does sound tight but doable. Maybe you could keep the back of the car lowered until you get the tranny onto the jack - and then raise the back of the car and slide it out the rear? I know I couldn't get my TH400 out from under the car with just 20.5" of clearance even with tilting the jack down all the way (using the Harbor Freight 800 lb jack). The top of the bell housing just wouldn't clear until I realized I could use the extra space in the wheel well. I don't think having the extra inch will allow clearance but I could be wrong. Maybe you could turn the tranny sideways and slide the top of the bell housing beside the oil pan and then the rest of it would clear.

Another thought might be to stack some wood on the ground or build a small platform and put the jack on top. If you could get enough height that way, at least you wouldn't have to wrestle the tranny off the jack. You would just have to wrestle the combo off of the platform - maybe with a small ramp of some sort.

Just thinking out loud, hope some of this helps.

DC

 

That's why I initially recommended the tranny adapter that fits on a floor jack. The extra height which is part of the 'adapter' works in your favor. Yer going to need that extra few inches due to your lift, (but most guys using jackstands don't want that extra height).

.

 

A picture on this would be great. I'm not sure yet what I'll be doing, but the options being laid out in the thread ought to be of interest in the future to others.

 

FWIW: another member mentioned the 20% coupon at Harbor Freight does say floor jacks. I used a 20% on the 1000 lb jack at harbor freight, it's a Transmission Jack not a floor jack. You can try that and maybe get lucky and get 20% off. I'd ask around, you maybe able to borrow an good trans jack for a 12pk or so.

 

One of my engineers, Mustang guy, but OK other than that, gave me an HF coupon today for the 800 lb tranny jack. It's $50 off. I figure at that price I can risk it working with a few mods. Stay tuned. Hopefully I'll have the old one out of the car in couple weeks and then finish paying off Silver Sport to send the 4l60e and install kit.

 

vince vette 2
I'll make myself a note to get a picture for you tomorrow and post it on the front door so I have to see it .... should succeed (unless I space the front door too!)

 

My wife is always surprised that I don't see notes she leaves for me even though she puts them right where I've dropped my keys and wallet for the last 30 years every evening when I get home. I'm not sure who's worse, me for still not seeing the notes or her for doing the same thing for 30 years and expecting to get a different result.

 

Here we go. I now realize that I could have made this a little fancier, but when I was making it I was slapping things together that I had readily available. Probably good that I didn't overthink it. I've removed and re-installed my Richmond ROD, and the Muncie M-21 many times in the 20 or so years since I made it. As you can see the central plate has two (2) holes so you can adjust the centering/balancing of the tranny.

 

Thanks for sharing that carriljc. I wish I had that skill at welding. I actually have never welded anything.

I took a look at my floor jack, but it's like they went out of their way to prevent something else being mounted on it. The bolt is a wide head and maybe 3/4 to 7/8 diameter on the thread, but doesn't engage more than 1/4" It would be enough for a steel plate, but lacking welding skills I'd be using wood. And the bolt would have to be much longer for a board thick enough to do the job.

 

I bought the harbor freight 800 lb jack tonight. It was on sale for $119. I stuck it under the car for fit. With the car where it is now, the jack hits the pan at 21 inches high. But the plate is 7.5 in high when dropped all the way down. The low point on the oil pan is 21.5, for some margin I'll call it 21". But the base of the jack will come down only to 7.5" off the floor. Given the top of the bell housing to the bottom of the pan is 16.25" let's call it 16.5, then add that to the 8" lowered plate height and we have 24.5" of height going under 21.5" of oil pan. So, I think DC3's suggestion is the best option, drop the tranny as the car sits now, then jack up the rear to get the height I need to clear the oil pan. Leave the car there to get the new tranny under it, then lower the rear of the car so it's close enough for the max 22.5" lift of the jack to get the new tranny in. Nothing's easy.

 

Well, once you get it "mostly down", then you can always slide onto a rolling creeper (or some other lower profile rolling contraption).....just do it slowly, and preferably with some assistance to avoid tipping it over.
I have lowered my richmond down and then slowly moving/sliding it over to lower wood, and eventually to concrete...where it then can be slid out from under easier.... I know a manual is a less bulkier than the automatic but the principle is the same. I don't even remove the Long Shifter bracket (I may next time by the allen heads are on there pretty tight) so it sticks up quite high.