Replacing clutch 1963 fuelie
 

Good afternoon,
It appears from reading and watching I should be able to remove the transmission, bellhousing, pp, clutch while leaving the engine in place. Is this correct?
I have searched a few threads but haven't seen anyone post details. Is there a thread created for this project? If so could someone send my way. I search all sorts of ways but can't find anything thanks
All the bolts appear to be accessible. Any tips tricks to share? Does the pilot bearing need a special pull tool? I have my car raised up securely on 4 jack stands and will be able to support the engine once the tranny mount is removed.
As always thanks for the help.

Yes, you can do that. It's tougher than for GM cars with a removable cross member but it's not greatly difficult. There are several threads on here about the subject. I did one a couple years ago just because I was experimenting with removing the transmission while on my lift with a transmission jack. Most of the removals I've done have been on the floor with jack stands. a lot of the steps apply to both.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post-lift.html

Mmember LARS also did a complete tutorial on clutch replacement about 6 months ago - however it was on a 62 for which removal is a bit easier. But the information in it about the clutch job is invaluable.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-c1-vette.html

Thanks for the quick reply. Will check it out. I will post up photos on my progress.

My post about the clutch replacement is here:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-c1-vette.html

This deals with the C1, but I try to put some C2 info in the article as well. The main thing you will run into is that the non-removable crossmember does not allow the tranny to be slid far enough back for the input shaft to clear the bellhousing, even if the tranny is rotated. So the tranny must be unbolted from the bellhousing, and the bellhousing must be unbolted from the engine, and then the two kind of "jack knife" out of the car together. For assembly, the "reverse jack-knife" installation is easier if you have a good helper with a second set of hands to help with clutch fork, throwout bearing, and the bellhousing as it all goes back in. :thumbs:

Lars

Yep... figured that out back in '68 when I did a clutch swap on my SWC. It's really not that hard (as long as you have a helper like Lars suggested) once you get the hang of it.

It's easy to gouge the tunnel insulation in the process of removal and installation, so keep that in mind. Its a good idea to wrap the trans in a blanket or thick old towel or bathtmat and maybe remove the shift levers and wrap the shafts with duct tape.

Duke

Some additional clearance to add room for the pilot shaft to clear the bell housing hole in the "jack knife" position that Lars describes can be gained by lowering the back of the engine. Some people use a cradle around the oil pan to support a bottle jack under the engine, but a wide board under the long sump can work to prevent damage to the pan. Tilting the engine back adds a little more room to separate the trans pilot shaft from the bell housing, and you need all the room you can get due to the smaller pilot bearing and smaller bell housing hole in the 63. I have done the engine tilt with all engine accessories in place on the 300 & 340 engines, but extra tilt angle can be achieved with the shielding tin and distributor cap removed for less pinching near the fire wall (room you may need with the FI).

Prep makes everything easier. Disconnect the exhaust pipes at the manifolds and mid bracket to spread them wide for more work room. Remove all the shift linkage and levers to make it easier to hold the trans, because you will find that you can rotate the trans (side cover down) to be able to slide the trans back with the tailshaft over the cross member in the tunnel to gain a little more "jack knife" separation room (and a towel, per SWCDuke, can save the hands from abrasion at the shift fork studs). The tunnel insulation can be snagged and torn if you rotate the trans cover side up.

Be careful, be patient, and don't force anything too much. When everything is separated as far as the trans and engine/bell can be spread apart, the pilot shaft clears the bell, and the trans falls out nose first.

Thank you!! Sounds fun!

Almost easier and cleaner to just pull the engine.

Thanks MikeM, true but I am minus a lift at this time. I don't mind a little physical labor on my back, I'm almost 60 so this may be the last time I get to do this! ;)

Do I need to completely remove the driveshaft or can I let it down and lay in place?

You have to remove the driveshaft completely. No way to disconnect the u-joint and yoke at the front unless you have a non-stock yoke installed. The procedure is put the transmission in neutral, use a socket and extension to loosen the u-joint strap bolts at the rear differential, rotate the shaft as necessary to get to all the bolts. Shove the shaft forward enough to get the rear u-joint clear of the saddle, then drop the rear of it and slide the yoke out of the transmission. Should be minimal leakage of transmission fluid if any but then you want to put one of those plastic plugs in the rear or put a zip lock bag over the opening and secure it tightly. Since most of the movement in pulling the transmission will be with the nose down, a lot of leakage has never been a big problem for me. If doing this on jack stands you may want to hammer together a little sled like this.
https://i125.photobucket.com/albums/...psfo3tgzzl.jpg

The input collar sits in the notch of the higher upright. After shoving the transmission back over the crossmember as far as it will go, and lowering the rear of the engine enough to maneuver the input out of the bell housing, I bring the transmission down and slightly forward and rest the input in the upright. Then I pickup toward the rear and slide the sled and transmission forward until the tail clears the cross member and I can lower it down to the rear of the sled. Then slide the whole thing out from under the car. This way I don't have to lift the entire weight of the transmission which is kind of difficult unless the car is really up high on the jackstands to where you have room to nose the input down towards the middle of your chest and slide it towards your chin while lifting it clear of the cross member and down to your chest - all of which is probably the standard procedure but you do need the car up high.

It works particularly well in re-installing the transmission. I slide the transmission on the sled into place - lift the rear up and slide it back to hook over the cross member - Then pick the front up and shove it back over the crossmember and the pilot tip into the bellhousing register and pull it forward enough to hang it on the dowels in the upper bellhousing bolt holes. Then take a breather, shove the sled and other stuff out of the way, square the transmission up with the bellhousing and slide it forward on the dowels and hopefully square through the TO bearing, clutch splines and input bushing that were hopefully all carefully lined up before hand.

Hope this helps in some way.

Thanks for the input, appreciate it.

getting a slow start! so from what I am reading watching was to drop the drive shaft from the front but above you are saying the rear of driveshaft.In the rear below the driveshaft I have a large metal piece bolted on, there is no way to remove the driveshaft unless I remove the piece in photo below. This is a 4/11 reared, not if that makes a difference.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...24798e5c2.jpeg
rear of driveshaft is behind this.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...b8a1d812c.jpeg

The driveshaft is a tight fit. The piece you show above stays in place. Take your time and undo the rear driveshaft bolts (4). Clean the driveshaft front yoke with WD 40. Now push the driveshaft into the rear of the transmission and remove the driveshaft from the rear axle pinion. Now see if you can pull the front yoke and driveshaft out of the trans rear housing. If you can....great. If not, undo the four bolts that attach the driveshaft to the transmission yoke piece. Mark the driveshaft and remove it. It will come out. :D

Larry

ok, if you say so! :) Thank you Powershift. It must be a very tight fit. I'll give it a whirl and report back the progress.

Larry, am I removing the driveshaft from the rear of the tunnel or dropping it down to remove from the front of the tunnel?

U-joint nuts at rear are difficult to access, but can be done by slowly rotating the driveshaft and using a combination wrench. Wrench travel is limited.........as you will see. :D Do the front u-joints the same way after shoving the yoke into the rear of the transmission as needed. Driveshaft should exit from rear of tunnel after all disconnects.

I really can't remember exactly my steps............I don't do this job frequently anymore...........but it you take your time you will see how best to get the driveshaft out on the ground. Jack stands should allow adequate undercar clearance.

Since you are having difficulty, make certain to separate the driveshaft from the transmission yoke u-joints and remove these as two separate items.

Larry

Thank you. Will be working on it tonight. I have the front u-joint apart but will tackle the rear and then removal!

On a 63 car you can remove the nut under the metal bracket (front differential mount) then the front two bolts where it attaches to the rear and finally loosen the through bolt just behind it and the metal bracket will swing down to allow access to the rear driveshaft u bolts.

When you reassemble do not tighten the bolts until the car weight is on the tires so the suspension is normalized, you may have to remove the small 1/4" bolt that retains the emergency brake cable but be sure to not forget to re-attach because the driveshaft spins very close to the cable.

Just realized I had a brain fart when I said above that there's no way to easily separate the front u-joint and driveshaft at the transmission yoke. I was apparently thinking of my Plymouth GTX that has a one-piece transmission yoke and I recently did a transmission rebuild and yoke replacement on it.

I guess you probably could just disconnect the driveshaft at the front yoke and tie it up and out of the way and pull the yoke out. I've always removed it to get it out of the way and because mine was restored with a new tube and cleared I try to preserve the finish from damage. Sorry for the bit of mis-information.