I have seen this done many times, once, years ago on my own car. I do
not know if it is practical in the home garage or driveway, but it is a
piece of cake if you have the car on a lift. The biggest advantage is
that nothing in the engine bay is disturbed. The cooling system is not
drained, radiator is not removed, almost no wiring is disturbed, & no
chance of scratching fenders, slam panel or other bodywork. It does
require a fair amount of strength to lift the tranny back in place, as
the way I have seen it done involved complete removal of the trans, not
just moving it to the rear. One of the local shops usually does it this
way, & their labor charge for a clutch replacement is well under $500,
while other area shops charge $800-1200 labor. Admittedly, the
Washington, DC area is an expensive place for auto repair & many other
things.
The starter is removed, clutch slave unbolted & tied off, drive shaft &
rear cross member removed. The shift extension & shift lever are
removed. Tranny is unbolted, rotated 90`, moved to the rear, & lowered
out of the car. After clutch renewal, replacement of the trans is the
reverse of removal. Overdrives in early cars will sometimes require a
slight spreading of the tunnel in one area, especially for replacement.
Mr. Gravity assists during removal. Other minor efforts include speedo
cable, reverse light wires, etc.
For a shop to do it this way reduces the possibilities of other
problems, not always legitimate. "My car ran great until you removed the
engine, now the exhaust leaks, the paint is scratched, it starts hard, I
hear funny noises, etc." The pros on the list know what I mean. "I
brought the car in for a clutch job, why do I need new anti-freeze?"
Jim Stuart
1974 MGBGTV8 on the road every day
1978/67 MGBV8 under construction
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