Putting a motor in a 79 with my wife and I can't seem to get the damn thing mated to the tranny. I've had this problem a few times before with fc's and I just can't believe someone hasn't figured out a trick to it. The tranny is already mounted in the car. Any suggestions?

 

Take the transmission out and bolt it to the engine then install it as a unit. It's a lot easier that way. :-)

 

the trick is to turn the e-shaft so the splines in the clutch disk will line up with the input shaft of the tranny.

 

dude dont use your wife, use a cherry picker JK, the best way is to take out the tranny and bolt it in to the engine and install it as a whole piece

 

Make sure the clutch is lined up properly and try and get one bolt on through the motor to the gearbox and then wiggle it around and it will line up no worries.

 

Bolt both together before inserting it in the engine. If you have one of those fancy schmancy engine tilters, it would be 100X easier.

 

Get the motor as close as you can to the transmission. Align it the way it's supposed to be. Put a bolt on top and a bolt on the bottom. As you tighten the bolts, it will drive the motor in. Easiest way to do it.

 

I've done it countless times with a clutch alignment tool. It should slide right in with a little encouragement by turning the e-shaft as you're mating them.

 

tilt the motor down while the tranny is facing up to line up the motor and tranny, get the 19" socket along with long bolts handy. spinning hte pulley helps but again, I've done it over a hundred times so it is easy for me to say.

 

If you do it this way then go to the hardware store and buy some much longer bolts that secure the transmission to the engine. Screw one in the bottom (either corner) and the other in a opposite corner into the engine. You cut the heads off of the bolts so that they work as a alignment point. You don't have to slot the bolts as you would get ones that are more than long enough to get a bite on to remove. Attach the transmission to the engine at the opposite corners with the correct bolts then remove the long ones.

 

Turn the engine to line up the tranny, come on guys. Stick the drive shaft in and turn that instead. That's the extreme, most trannys can be turned by hand at the yoke.

 

If you've got a helper, that's definately the preferred method. Unfortanutely, I don't generally have the luxury of a helper, so everything's got to be done from top side.

 

yes. provided the drive shaft is still connected to the rear, put the tranny in gear and turn the e-shaft til the splines in the clutch disk line up with the input shaft and it'll slide right on.

 

I did it myself with the stock bolts. You won't need to get longer ones if you get it as close as you can.

 

looks like there is several ways lol

 

Yes I have done it that way also. Learn from those who have done it one way and found a very easy way to do it in the future.


Using long bolts with no head on them acts as a alignment tool which means no fighting with the transmission. It allows you to guide and support the transmission with little or no effort and ensures that it is properly aligned. I have installed transmissions like this with no jack underneath them in a couple of minutes.

 

i say you guys are all wrong and I'm right

 

Thanks for all your input fellas. I think I'll try it with the tranny in first and just leave the engine mounts out for a lil extra space, then put them in one the motor and tranny are bolted together. If that doesn't work, then out comes the tranny. Thanks again.

 

What do you know? Your mind is clogged with all that smog in LA.


That's why your name is Wacky.

 

+1 make sure tranny is in gear! it will not go in if it is not. A hard learned lesson. engine tilter thingy help alot too.

 

Last time I had to do this with the tranny in the car, I lowered the motor into position so that it was "pressing" up against the tranny. Then I rotated the driveshaft until it clunked into place. Three minutes tops...

 

+1!! i had to do this yesterday with my Fb....much easier to manually turn the engine and get the shaft and tranny lined up...takes some effort but it can be done

 

You should have asked the tranny to get out of the car and help you..

 

 

I did ask, and it muttered something about union rules.

"I get paid to change gear ratios, not install engines", and I could have sworn I heard "and where's my coffee and donuts bitch", but I'm really not sure. F'n tranny primadonnas....