Jim,
You can do it all without the special tools.
The circlip on the front of the mainshaft can be removed with a couple of
long, thin screwdrivers. Use a rag on top to avoid any risk of breakage and
you can even be aggressive about twisting it off. Take a dremel grinder and
put notches in the new one and it will go on and off easier next time with
standard circlip pliers.
You can get a plate type bearing separator or just use the edges of a vise
to get the front bearing off the input shaft since you will be putting a new
on one anyway. A foot long piece of 1.5" (I think that's the right size)
pipe will allow you to hammer the new one back on. Hit the bearing on the
inner ring only. If you cut off the threads that come on the pipe you can
avoid little shards of thread breaking off. I put a layer of grease to catch
that stuff and wipe it off to be safe, but frankly even if crud gets in
there you can (should anyway) rinse with WD40 and re-oil..
On the back end, you can either hammer the mainshaft through the case with a
lead mallet (after pulling the countershaft to avoid gear contact) or build
a tool out of plate steel and threaded rod. Picture a plate with a 4" hole
in the middle with the 6 boltholes lined up with the tranny extension
mounts. Then drill 2 - 3/8" holes on opposite sides and mount threaded rod
with nuts on both sides to lock them in. Get another small thick plate for
the back end of the mainshaft, and drill it for the rod. Crank down back and
forth on both rods and push the mainshaft through the rear bearing. Putting
that one back on after reassembling the gears is touchy. I have wired the
gears together like they show in the Haynes manual and done it free hand.
The critical issues are to prevent the shifter hubs from loosing their ball
bearings and supporting the front end of the mainshaft while you use a
longer pipe to hammer the rear bearing home. I have used a stack of wood
blocks successfully. Stand the gearbox on the floor, bell housing down with
the blocks supporting the shaft. I wedge thinner wood blocks under the bell
housing to keep everything square. Here it is more important to keep the
swarf out of the bearing. not that you can't clean it up, it's just more
work.
Pay attention to the 2nd-3rd bushing clearance and make sure that the
bushing turn freely in the gears. Not so important about turning on the
shaft but I polish that too. You can put little shims under the springs in
the shifter hubs to increase detent. They sell them if you look at the
catalogs, but I believe a hole puncher might be perfect size if you had the
sheet stock. Take the time to disassemble the shifter and replace the
o-rings. You can check those detents as well as those the early cars had
detent cones that wear out. You have to guess at the tension you want in the
shifter, again with shims, but it is OK to do it trial and error on the
bench, Make it just a hair tighter than you think is right to cover for
wear.
That's all I can think of right now, but you definitely can do it without
special tools. I don't have any.
Bob Kramer
rkramer3@austin.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: <mcandrew@pol.net>
To: <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, May 29, 2005 6:40 PM
Subject: Churchill tools
> Anyone know of a source for the special Churchill tools needed for working
> on Triumphs? I don't care about originality- reproductions, machine
> plans, pictures of your homemade tools- would all be appreciated. My son
> and I are about to start learning how a gearbox is taken apart and
> (hopefully) put back together.
>
> Thanks
>
> Jim McAndrew
> 1957 TR3
> Tyler, Texas
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