I need to have my transmission rebuilt and was going to do the B&M rebuild myself. My only question is how hard is it to get the transmission out? Is it something that can be done in my driveway, or do i need a lift? How high do i have to lift front end?
well ... the job would take ya 1/3 of the time on a lift lift.... if ya do it off the ground ...(done a few myself-never again..when i was younger) think saftey first.... besides its Le-cold in Montreal no?
Yeah, it's pretty cold now, but it should be nice in a couple of weeks. It's usually warm enough mid-march to break out the motorcycles. Will a standard hydraulic jack get me enough height?
you should be ok ..but make sure you have enough clearance 2 pull the trans out and room for yourself 2 work under.. make sure you have good jacks stands underneath ...i would lift all 4 corners up ...make sure your on level ground....if just front make sure 2 chock rear wheels good... ...maybe ya have some good tree stumps o No: 2 use on all 4 corners .................... dump all oil... take drive shaft off....dont forget 2 mark it on differential side disconnect all linkage & hoses.. and both cooling lines...also pull dip stick tube..speedometer cable use a jack under trans..have extra hands also... disconnect bolts...also from torque converter jerk slightly out ...lower..make sure tc no fall on you..and still oil in there saftey first again...
Get the front wheels up on ramps, or about a foot off the ground, should be high enough. Use a good floor or trans jack under the tranny, they're HEAVY and you don't want one to get loose (same with converter). Also, before you remove the trans mount, stick a 2x4 or something under the back of the engine or it'll rock back on its mounts until it hits the firewall.
You might want to use something to spread out the weight of the tranny on the jack so as not to cave in the oil pan.
I've had to pull the tranny twice on my '68 Buick Skylark. I find that regular drive-up ramps don't quite get the car high enough - the top of the bellhousing doesn't clear the engine, even with the transmission sitting on the floor. I've done it with just the front end on tall jack stands. However, having all four corners in the air makes it much easier. Doesn't have to be perfectly level - the rear wheels on ramps and the front perched higher on jack stands will do it. I used a regular floor jack. A tranny adapter is nice, but it adds to the height so you won't clear the underside with the jack/adapter/tranny combination. On the floor jack, I used a square of plywood with some 1" high sides to box the transmission oil pan. Two people are much better than one. With two, one person is underneath aligning the bell-housing while the second person is in front with the jack, tweaking it up or down as need be. If the engine is blocked up just right, you might get away with one person. In short, it can be done. You'll learn while taking it out what you'll need to put it back!
I was talking to a couple of friends who have experience with V8s. They they reason my car sshakes of the line and during shifts is my torque converer is shot, not the tranny. Thay recommend going for a 1500 stall on a full stock engine. Any ides on this? Or recommendations for a certain brand?
if your torque converter is shot your tranny will be shortly. so dont think that just replaceing the torque converter will fix the problem. also if you just replace the torque converter and your original one was indeed bad you will destroy the new one if you dont have the tranny rebuilt and well cleaned as well as having your tranny cooling lines and cooler flushed very well. just some food for thought. one more thing if you find an metal particles in your tranny replace your torque converter and flush the cooling lines and cooler very well that kind of crap has a way of packing itself in the cooler and then comeing loose right when you least expect it and destroying everything you have just spent lots of time and money on.
Do not trust a jack under the trans without trans adapter or rent one. I had a turbo 400 balanced on a jack to remove it and it fell on my left Arm which took the brunt of the impact. DUMB and bad idea. Luckily I didnt break it but had nice bruise and stiff neck for a while. I borrowed friends trans jack to put it back. Much easier. Also like they said get all four corners way off the ground.
Today i came upon a friend of a friend who is selling a 1977 Lesabre for $300 (Canadian). Engine and tranny are good. Can i swap the tranny from the 77 to the 70? And maybe the the engine+tranny from the 77 to 70?
TH350 transmissions come in three different tailshaft housing lengths. Sorry, I have no idea of the interchangability. Like Copperhead said, measure... Motor will swap, but why would you? Is your 70 350 shot? If so, I'd use the 77 bottom end, but use your heads and intake. Put in a mild cam while it's apart.
My emgine is OK, but really needs a tune up. I was tols by someone that my compression is bad because i've got lots of oil being sucked back up into the air filter. After i switch the trannys, i'll keep the 77 engine in my spare room and build it up then eventually put it in my '70
