engine and drivetrain 5 spd conversion question.....

[TimNC]

I currently have old engine and 4 spd tranny out of my car and am getting ready to install a newly rebuilt engine and 5 spd tranny (Getrag 245). Question: Prior to dropping the new engine & tranny (already joined) into place, where and how severly do I distort the drive train tunnel to make room for 5 spd tranny/slave cylinder. Does anyone have a specific set of measurements/coordinates from specific benchmarks? Also, I have been told that the only tool required to distort the tunnel is a BFH (Big Freaking Hammer)...I have a small three lb. maul as well as a bigger five lb. maul. Any suggestions and words of wisdom from those of you who have already preformed this "delicate" procedure would be appreciated. As info. I will not have access to an overhead lift and will be banging around under the car while it is on four jack stands. The car is approximately 18" off the floor.

TIA. Tim

[Mike Self]

is fastened to the side of the driver's side tunnel housing carpet to prevent carpet wear from your accelerator foot. If you look at the driver's side of the tranny you'll see the protrusion that causes the interference. measure back from the firewall to give you the approximate location--just be careful that you don't disrupt the accelerator pedal linkage with too much enthusiastic whanging.

It doesn't take much whanging, either...if your three lb hammer has a short handle (an engineer's hammer) it will do just fine--a long-handled hammer (lile a sledge) won't give you enough swinging room.

cheers

mike

[winstontj]

I just did mine yesterday (bloody banged up hands to prove it). I thought that the slave would be the problem but in my case it turned out to be only the very back of the slave cylinder (right at the bleeder) and ALSO the rearmost part of the gearbox. To the point that I had to bang out up top to fit the gearbox but keep the bottom together so the bracket would fit. You'll see when you get it in there and it's going to be easier to install everything together.... but harder too because it was VERY valuble to remove the flywheel & PP and do a series of test fits.

ALSO, I ended up having to unbolt my R.Diff and really line up everything. Before you just mount the trans tabs allign the driveshaft. I hung a piece of black pipe (48") from the driveshaft with zip ties. Then measure at the diff end, the ctr bearing (both sides) and the trans side. Once you have things lined up with an even amount of space between the pipe and driveshaft lay under the giubo and rotate the driveshaft. You'll be able to see any flexing if it's there. MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T ANY FLEX IN THE GIUBO. If there is you'll tear through them every few hundred or thousand miles. Make sure your motor mounts are good/new, then raise and lower the rear of the transmission so there is no flex in the giubo, go back and forth between the driveshaft leveling/allignment and the transmission mounts.... you'll get it and it's worth the time.

HTH,

TJW

[robspeed]

I just did mine yesterday (bloody banged up hands to prove it). I thought that the slave would be the problem but in my case it turned out to be only the very back of the slave cylinder (right at the bleeder) and ALSO the rearmost part of the gearbox. To the point that I had to bang out up top to fit the gearbox but keep the bottom together so the bracket would fit. You'll see when you get it in there and it's going to be easier to install everything together.... but harder too because it was VERY valuble to remove the flywheel & PP and do a series of test fits.

ALSO, I ended up having to unbolt my R.Diff and really line up everything. Before you just mount the trans tabs allign the driveshaft. I hung a piece of black pipe (48") from the driveshaft with zip ties. Then measure at the diff end, the ctr bearing (both sides) and the trans side. Once you have things lined up with an even amount of space between the pipe and driveshaft lay under the giubo and rotate the driveshaft. You'll be able to see any flexing if it's there. MAKE SURE THERE ISN'T ANY FLEX IN THE GIUBO. If there is you'll tear through them every few hundred or thousand miles. Make sure your motor mounts are good/new, then raise and lower the rear of the transmission so there is no flex in the giubo, go back and forth between the driveshaft leveling/allignment and the transmission mounts.... you'll get it and it's worth the time.

HTH,

TJW

agreed about the guibo gap-testing!! (i left mine loose, so any misalign would show as GAP-NOGAP as i spun it around. i kept fooling with it, and finally got it to consistently FLEX NOT the guiffo!! :-D

also, i also had to POUND *UP* the back of the tunnel, after i TORE the shifter mount from the back of tranny, and had to start again with another... previously i had only pounded out the slave area.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks a lot y'all. I really appreciate the input. I'll let you know how it goes. TC