[Bret Brinkmann]

There is a certain mentalitly that once a car is old or has problems that it should be thrown away in favor or a new car because it will never be right again. We are just trying to show people that these cars are not a black art thats all. Each tech will work at a different speed with a different level of skill. More experienced techs will be faster. Being faster is like giving yourself a raise because you are good at what you do. Of course you have to be careful that the tech who pulls 60+ hours a week is honestly good and not cutting corners. But all the good techs would quit if they had to fix more cars than the less experienced guys just to get the same paycheck. You can get pay rate raises, no one will pay a tech as much as a white collar worker. Techs are part of the blue collar working class mofos. It sure is hard being male, middle class, and white....

 

[jackhammer]

Im not sure what that has to do with anything, but here, have a hug...........

 

[wraith]

There is a certain mentalitly that once a car is old or has problems that it should be thrown away in favor or a new car because it will never be right again. We are just trying to show people that these cars are not a black art thats all. Each tech will work at a different speed with a different level of skill. More experienced techs will be faster. Being faster is like giving yourself a raise because you are good at what you do. Of course you have to be careful that the tech who pulls 60+ hours a week is honestly good and not cutting corners. But all the good techs would quit if they had to fix more cars than the less experienced guys just to get the same paycheck. You can get pay rate raises, no one will pay a tech as much as a white collar worker. Techs are part of the blue collar working class mofos. It sure is hard being male, middle class, and white....

LOL depends where you live I guess. I am a professional engineer and my electricians make a good $50-60k a year more then I make. They are certainly blue collar, but I dont feel too bad because they work all day in the elements and actually do hard work. This is the work which makes all the profit. IMO, its an upside down way of thinking that CEOs and officers make so much more money then the hard working people underneath. I exist in a Local 3 IBEW environment in the NY/NJ/Ct area and they make the rules that industry follows. Our mechanics all make over $30 an hour also plus 1 1/2 for overtime. I have a feeling (unfortunately) that if it was all non-white trades people, the rate would not be even close to what it is, so the fact that alot of white males actually still participate in blue collar work has kept the salaries here to what they are. In my industry, the whites outnumber the other races by a huge margin simply because its very profitable, not because there is a scarcity of other people interested in or qualified to do the work (the union teaches them everything they need to know 'for free').

sam

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

OMG! Did no one pick up on my song reference to Ben Folds?!...... Rockin' The Suburbs?..... Anyone? "Male middle class and white", are song lyrics guys. It's a song intended to bring humor to the masses by making light of a sensitive subject. I was joking..... What I am I going to do with you guys? :icon26:

Anyway, the point was that we will not charge people less to take in their "other shop abortions". That phrase made me laugh by the way, I'll have to remember that one. Maybe there are some electrications that make bank but unless you are an auto tech in a big city at a dealership, the chances of you doing the same are slim. I don't think they would agree to less pay for more work just because they are good at what they do either. Our labor rates are on par with dealerships who also charge by the job.

 

[jackhammer]

Sorry brett, and 3sx. I didnt mean to take out my small penis syndrome on you.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

Small penis syndrome? I hope it's not contagious.... I should be protected from viruses with my McAfee antivirus software. But if you have a small penis why is your screen name jackhammer? Maybe we ALL have small penises and just not every one knows yet! That's what I get for working on a Japanese vehicle. Disclaimer: That was a South Park reference for those that don't know. You should take that as serious as my Ben Folds reference.

 

[twinturbvr4]

great method!

I did this using straps around the tranny case with the hoist, worked "pretty" well.. but took a while to get it in place as the straps don't keep the case at the right angle/rotation

 

[jackhammer]

the straps don't keep the case at the right angle/rotation

This does
http://www.3si.org/forum/f1/new-6-speed-me-472149/

 

[machV]

You should add this and the pics to the wiki.Don't forget that you can pop out the center breather to get a good look at the input shaft splines. If they are not aligned, then put a rachet on the crank pulley and turn the engine.

Uhm, has someone done this yet? I could do it but I'm sure someone could be more proper in wording than me.

:ak47:

 

[Chris @ Rvenge Performance]

great method!

I did this using straps around the tranny case with the hoist, worked "pretty" well.. but took a while to get it in place as the straps don't keep the case at the right angle/rotation

yeah that's why you use the shifter arms and the trans damn near falls into place.

I think it took 10 minutes to seat my trans last time.

A good trick is to have someone sit on the ground and put there foot on the trans end case while you rotate the output shaft in small increments to lineup the clutch splines perfectly with the trans input shaft. It slides in with virtually no effort once you get the height right.

 

[3Sfever]

This thread comes back to life just at the right time for me. I hope to be installing new synchros and putting tranny back in this weekend.

When removing the tranny, I lowered it with hoist chain connected to these bolts. I was doing it by myself, and was not as smooth as I hoped. The tranny will not drop straight down, and I could not tilt the tranny to get the output-shaft "hump" down as I read as the way to do it. Possibly with two people it would be easy, with one manuevering the tranny, and the other controlling the hoist.

I will be installing this by myself, and was hoping for some even more-detailed tips. . . . Will the tranny lift straight up, , end of case rubbing the passenger-side frame, IF the "hump" is rotated down? . . . I am thinking of rigging a temporary strap from the hoist hook, to the front of tranny (fill-plug side). (see sketch below) . . . This would hold the tranny hump down, until it clears the frame, then take the temp strap off.

I am hoping:
- raise tranny, straight up, with temp strap
- remove strap so that tranny sets level
- install Chris's head-less bolts, or long T-case bolts to assist alignment
- push the tranny home

Should this work? One-man job?

 

[3Sfever]

Well, I won't be trying the "side-strap" this weekend. . . The tranny is apart, and it was not the friction ring causing first-gear grinding, it is a broken outer ring. . . . now I need to find one of those, before I can put the car back together.

 

[Chris @ Rvenge Performance]

I have an outer ring if you need one. Shoot me a PM

 

[3Sfever]

I have an outer ring if you need one. Shoot me a PM

PM sent . . . PayPal to follow shortly. . THANKS Chris!

Below is photo, to make sure we are talking about the same part, and to show the crack. It is exaggerated, because I pulled the ring apart and twisted it before it closed. Otherwise the crack is barely visible. . . . I am SO glad I noticed it before assembling everything.

 

[Chris @ Rvenge Performance]

yes that is the part I'm talking about.

That crack would've caused some MAJOR issues!

I had the outer ring teeth stripped on my 2nd gear and it was the same as driving completely without a syncro.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

It looks like the friction material smeared on it as well. Almost every time I see that the inner ring also has smearing and needs to be replaced also. I don't know about other shops but we have them at 3SX.

When ever I use a chain during install, the tranny will touch the frame. But there is enough room to move it or angle it so it will clear as I raise it. You pretty much lift it straight up, angle it to clear things along the way, then it's a matter of finding the right angle so it slides against th engine with out forceing it. You may have to rotate the crank by hand but that is it.

 

[Chris @ Rvenge Performance]

i just rotated the output shaft on the trans while my wife held pressure against the trans and after wiggling the output shaft back and forth it found the right alignment and slid right in.

Easier to do than turn the crank

 

[3Sfever]

I had big plans for doing this myself, taking pictures along the way to show exactly what the tranny looked like going up, and then putting it all on the Wiki . . . I started pulling it up with the straps rigged so that the "hump" was down, but just could not get the darn thing to squeeze by the frame etc. . . I took the extra straps off and tried pulling straight up.

LONG story short, I finally gave up trying to do myself and found some help. . . Even then could not do it.

To back up a little. --> To get the passenger-side axle out, I did NOT remove the control arm and swaybar link etc., I removed the two bolts at the top of knuckle (attaches to strut). I did this because I was familiar with taking it apart that way, and need a wheel alignment anyway.

In retrospect, maybe it is a lot easier to remove the lower control arm and swaybar link, because I just could not find a way to get the tranny pulled up past the frame until I removed the swaybar link, and loosened the one swaybar bracket.

I almost started over, removing the control arm, to get some pics, . . but at that point I was WAY too tired and cold* fool with it anymore, I had the tranny on the long "alignment" bolts and was NOT going back.

To let others know --> . . is it REQUIRED to pull the lower control arm bolt and swaybar links? (to make clearance)

.
* my lift is more like a towable crane, than a shop lift, so I had to leave the garage door open to use it. The temp was 25 degrees, but I thought "these guys say it only takes a few minutes, that won't be bad." . . . after 1.5 hours, I was a human ice cube.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

It sounds like your straps are restricting your movement. I have always used chains and the control arm bolt does touch it at one point, but it never jammed against it.

 

[Turbo Beast]

Done it myself a couple a times, first time is a b*tch but doable by any means. Just take your time, make sure the clutch is centered (get a clutch tool, most new clutch kits include one)
If it wont slide on, turn the crank a bit, put the trans against it and wiggle once it slides on, youre golden