VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 Removing transmission

The manual says to remove the trans through the floor panel, but has anyone removed the transmission from below the car? Also, I was having a look under the car, and there are two bolts through the bell housing which go from behind the clutch. I remember reading once about a "fix" for this, but I cannot find it again. This relocated the bolt heads to enable them to be removed easily. Anyone remember this?

The only way to remove the transmission from underneath the car is with the engine out or the driveshaft out. Unfortunately, you will have to follow the directions in your manual. The easiest way is to take it out when taking the engine out by leaving it attached to the engine.

Good luck, Mike

Is it because the transmission cross member gets in the way?

Yes, the cross member is the problem for removing the transmission from the bottom of the car. If you removed it then it would be no problem. I think it would take the removal of 8 rivets to take the cross member off. 2 on each side where the cross member attaches to the frame, and 2 on each of the support braces that reinforce the cross member. By the time you took all the rivets out you might have taken all the front sheet metal off and pulled the transmission attached to the engine.

At age 66, with a bad back, I would rather take off all the sheet metal and pull my engine with the transmission attached, than risk further back injury by removing it according to the directions in the manual.

Good luck, Mike

Mike's right, its way easier to pull it as a unit, but you can go through the top as the manual says. I, too have a bad back and when we pulled it through the top we learned never to do this again unless we were on the side of the road and needed to.

Make sure if you have it out to go to the hardware store and get some longer bellhousing bolts with matching threads. Lop the heads off and use them as dowel alignment rods when you re-attach it to the motor. It makes it so much easier to hang on the bellhousing and easier on your back than having to fight it. For such a tiny little trans...these buggers sure are heavy!

Good luck with your project.

47Aero,

Don't know if you saw this post in January. The pictures are worth a thousand words. They will help clarify Daryl's suggestions.

Engines out, what's next

Good luck, Mike

Thanks for the replies Mike & Daryl. I might still look at replacing the rivets with bolts (like they maybe should have been made!), I did pull the motor and trans out of a '37, and removed the complete front sheetmetal in one piece. I had to store it outside (didn't like doing that, but I had to) while I worked on the rest. I don't have the room now, and hopefully won't have any need to remove the trans, but it,s nice to be prepared.

The 41 transmission is easy to remove. It's the convertible that is the hard(er) one.

Just flip out the rug, unscrew the cover, disconnect the ujoint, unhook the vacuum shift, take off the fly-wheel cover, take out the two bolts down there and then take out the two bolts from the top of the housing. Slip the transmission back and out. Piece of cake.

Even easier when you get a buddy to help you. He can do the heavy lifting and underneath stuff (issue him a pair of goggles).

Don't bother taking the front-end off just to get the transmission out. Mercy! With two knowledgeable people working its a half hour job. With you are alone and someone is watching and advising you but not helping, figure on a full day.

Charlie

BTW: Don't touch the clutch pedal.