Clutch went out today, sounds like a spring popped out or PP fingers broke. Not sure on what kit I'll get (leaning towards monster stage 2), but what should I change while I've got everything removed? I'm already planning to do the rubber torque tube bushing and the diff/tranny gasket (mine's leaking), but is there anything else?

Also, anyone know if long tubes need to be unbolted to get the bellhousing out?

 

yes the crossover needs to come out so you can remove the tunnel pan to get to the torque tube. Your headers may prevent you from getting to one or two of the bellhousing bolts You will need to remove the center console and shifter, and have a big putty knife to put between the torque tube and the brake lines in the tunnel. Otherwise you will drag the brakelines out with the TT.You will also need to support the rear of the engine so it doesn't bust stuff, and the support needs to be adjustable.Not sure how much you are going to take apart in pieces, but you can move the transaxle and torque tube rearward as one big subassembly.

Add a remote bleeder to your list of must-haves.

 

Yep remote bleeder definitely on the list. Probably going to do a Monster stage 2 with a lightweight FW and a new slave. Already got a Tick master. I've done a few clutch jobs on f-bodys, and once on a Porsche 944 Turbo (same rear mounted transmission setup) so I've got an idea of the work involved. It looks like the cradle gets dropped, then the TT/Tranny/Diff, and then you've got access to the bell housing.

Since the suspension gets dropped, I'm going to be needing a wheel alignment afterwards yeah?

And there's 2 torque tube bushings right? Usually both are changed or does just 1 go bad? I haven't had any issues with vibrations or noises beyond the norm, but I figure if I'm pulling everything it's worth a change.

 

Not sure what you mean by bushings, but there are rubber insulators everyone calls Guibos that can go bad and there are some ball bearings in the TT.

I'm going from memory and it has been a couple years since I dropped one, but it goes something like this:
1. disconnect the battery
2. In the passenger compartment, remove the console bezel and remove the shifter. Remember the shifter is connected to the torque tube.
3. raise the car
4. Remove the rear tires, calipers, caliper bracket, brake discs, remove the parking brake cable and p-brake shoe ring, disconnect the wheel speed sensors. Remove the axle nut
5. Remove the two upper “A” arm bolts (at the frame) Remove the rear control arm (the link that sets rear toe). They make a special tool to remove this joint, but usually if you just loosen the nut and tap it with a brass hammer it will come loose. If it doesn’t, don’t whack harder, get the tool. The rear spindle is now hanging from the lower ball joint. While pushing inward on the halfshaft to compress it move the spindle and upper control arm so the spline completely comes out of the hub. If you don’t loosen the eccentric bolt at the front of the lower A-arm, and don’t loosen the jam nut on the control arm, your alignment will be good when you go back together. The Crossmember support has alignment pins that go in pockets in the frame, so the relative position of the suspension will stay the same.
6. Remove the lower shock absorber (they’re called egg-sorgas here in NC) connection.
7. Remove both half shafts from the diff.
8. Trace the path of the rigid brake lines from the fitting to the top of the diff. Pry the lines out of the clips. When you lower and move the transaxle later, you will move these lines, no need to disconnect them, they will spread to clear the transaxle. Also leave the rear calipers hanging from the body, run a zip tie thru a hole and wrap it on something to hold it up.
9. Remove the exhaust from ahead of the cats all the way back including mufflers. You may have to remove one or both of the sway links and drop the sway bar depending on whether you do this on a lift or not.
10. Remove the tunnel plate. I think these little bolts take a 5/16 socket.
11. Now you are close to dropping the torque tube/transaxle. But, you have to get some support in 3 places, under the rear of the engine because the motor mounts are forward. This support needs to be adjustable in the vertical direction. If you are doing this on the ground, the car will need to be at least 2 ft in the air and best if level. Then you will need a support under the torque tube that is both vertical and horizontal. And finally, third, a support under the transaxle that is both vertical and horizontal. Two Harbor Freight Trans jacks are OK for this and a scissors jack for the engine support.
12. If you have the car high enough, you can leave the rear trans axle on the rear cross member and drop the whole transaxle/torque tube enchilada, springs, lower control arm, etc.
13. Disconnect the clutch hydraulic connector. It can be a PITA, so do a little Forum research on this one.
14. Shove a big drywall mud knife (“putty knife”) between the shifter box on the torque tube and the brake lines up in the tunnel
15. Make contact with the support at the transaxle cross member support and have the engine and torque tube supports standing by.
16. Now with the drive train supported at the trans axle, remove the four nuts that hold the rear crossmember transaxle support to the frame. DO NOT use an impact gun on these babies. Slow and easy. If one spins it means you have busted the anti-rotation rivet. You will need to fix that (another forum search) but for now, a combination of wrenches and vise grips will get you going.
17. Lower the trans axle SLOWLY about 2 inches or so. Keep an eye on the brake lines around the transaxle and the drive tunnel.
18. Now for some cussin’. There are some connectors at the top of the transaxle that need to be removed. The service manual lists them but taking your time you can find them and disconnect them.
19. There is a rectangular plastic conduit that is attached to the TT with metal clips and this is where the real cussin’ comes in, you have to get the conduit out of the clips. This baby is about 3/4x2 and is one stiff puppy. Keep workin’, you’ll get it.
20. Once you have all the interconnects free, you can commence lowering the transaxle some more.
21. You have to watch the top back of the engine to make sure it does not hit the firewall and busts expensive stuff at the back of the engine. Basically, once you lower the transaxle just low enough so it will clear when moved rearward about a foot you are OK. WARNING: keep an eye on the brake lines in the rear, they will clear but you almost need a second person to watch them as you lower.
22. Now put the other two supports on the engine to keep it from going lower, and on the TT near the bell housing.
23. Remove the bolts holding the TT to the bellhousing. This is a touchy-feely to make sure you get them all.
24. Move the TT/transaxle rearward until the TT shaft clears the clutch. Then the unit is yours for service.

 

It's the guibos I was talking about, I should need 2 yeah? I think I'm going to wait until I have the TT out and inspect mine before I purchase as they're pretty expensive and the PO might have had them replaced already (I know he had a new LS6 clutch kit installed about 40k miles ago)

Thanks for taking the time to write all that out, I think between that, these two sites, and past experience with clutch replacements, I should be able to manage.

http://www.iammoon.com/c5clutch/c5_clutch.htm

http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2011...-installation/

Any idea where I can find part numbers for the seal between the diff and the tranny?

 

More than likely, yes they will. Mine were very in the way of both the bell housing cover and removing the clutch components. (Kooks 1 7/8"). You don't need remove the bell housing completely either, just the lower cover. It all drops out the bottom.

 

Got same headers as you, so that's good to know. Also good to know I won't need to remove the bellhousing completely, on the F-body that's a PITA as you have to use like 4 ft of extensions and get it from inside the car through the shifter hole.

 

You definitely don't want to remove the bell housing completely. I had to replace mine and it was a bear. I ended up removing the intake and going that way to get the bolt on the top.

Oh, and for good measure, you might want to remove the plugs before the headers, I cracked the front two plugs on mine maneuvering the headers to clear.

and a +1 for the remote bleeder. It's only more impossible to get to with the LT headers.

at least check out your driveshaft couplers and bearings. I replaced my couplers (ordered everything to rebuild the driveshaft), but it didn't need them. I have the originals (~30K miles) sitting on the shelf. One of the bearings was noisy however.

 

I should be able to drop the tranny/diff without draining any fluids?

 

It depends on how you disassemble it, but I didn't... The only fluid I had to deal with is brake fluid when I disconnected the rear brake lines and the slave cylinder. I took the driveshaft, trans, diff and suspension cradle out in one piece.

 

Plan to drop everything as one. Even if I separate the TT from the tranny, I shouldn't need to drain anything right?

Also, I removed the calipers and zip tied them aside, it looks like I should be able to drop everything without having to disconnect any brake lines or am I wrong on that?

 

I believe the brake lines are attached to the cradle, but not sure. I left mine attached to the knuckle, removed the bolt holding the line from the body and there's two brake line connections right above where the drivers side inner CV joint is.

All the trans and diff fluids are sealed. The only fluid you would lose is the diff fluid if you removed the CV axle(s).

 

That's good to know before I pop out the half shalfs.

Need to drain the diff anyways as I think the O-ring between the trans and diff is leaking. Transmission fluid should be sealed within the trans even if I split the diff and trans apart?

 

From looking at the service info, it looks like the trans is completely sealed when you separate the two, only the diff fluid will come out. Someone else who's done it might be able to chime in.

 

Got the trans/diff/TT dropped in about 6 hours, that includes a bit a dicking around with jackstands and a few short breaks. No air tools and a cramped 1 car garage. Not bad all in all, probably can do it in 4 hours next time.

Still need to remove TT and inspect guibos, remove clutch/PP/FW, separate diff from tranny to replace gasket.

 

My supercharged 2004 zo6 is in need of a high performance clutch. Do anyone know a shop that can do the job for me? I am in the Great Lakes Naval station in illinois area. What is a reasonable charge for that type of job? I am considering the Mantic HD 9000 twin disc clutch ceramic. Appreciate the advice. Thanks.

 

plan on spending around a grand for labor plus whatever parts cost, maybe a little cheaper depending on who does the work but

 

Thanks.

 

I took the opportunity to replace just about everything besides the transmission internals. This should give you a good idea of your options.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...dies-pics.html