barnett468

unless you can bench press 300 lbs with ease it will be IMPOSSIBLE to do by yourself. it will never, ever, ever happen.
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barnett468

ummm...perhaps.

racer_dave

I've done cast iron Saginaw 3sp in/out of a nova on my own, so not impossible, but certainly you have to be in good shape. Definitely easier with a trans jack, or at least a floor jack. If you have to do it alone there are some tricks.

Make a couple of alignment studs from 1/2" bolts or all thread, about 5 inches long. Thread them into the bottom two mounting holes in the bellhousing leaving one about 2" longer than the other. Then get the trans lifted up setting the input shaft in the opening to the bellhousing. Now you just need to hold up the tailshaft and grab a breather. Then drop the trans from the tail and get the shaft headed into the clutch. Once it's started lift the tail and rotate it a little to get the correct ear on the longer stud. Then rotate the other ear onto it's stud. Now the studs are holding the weight, not you. You're just holding up the tailshaft. You can then put a nut on each stud and use them like you would a pulley installer to pull the trans in. Do NOT try to thread a bolt in and pull the trans in that way, you'll just strip the threads. Go slow, feed it through the t/o bearing and get the fork and such aligned.

Doing it this way you do a lift of the full weight and rest, then another lift with only about 2/3 of the weight, and then a 3rd lift with maybe 1/3 of the weight. Makes it doable solo.

another hint- check the pilot bushing area on the trans shaft. Taper the leading edge more than stock. A good 1/4 will do. That helps it find center of the pilot bushing even if the clutch alignment is off a bit. The clutch disk will center up the first time you press in the pedal, but this helps the nose of the shaft go into the pilot bearing easier.

These little tricks will save you a lot of swearing and make it a one man job. I've done it at least 10 times on my own. Of course I was in my 20's back then... I still do my race trans the same way now, but they only weigh about 35lbs.

barnett468

4 spd top loader weight - . . . . .98 lbs.

3 spd saginaw weight - . around 80 lbs.

hospital bill for herniated disc - $12,000.00

cost to have mechanic do it . . . . $200.00

trans jack cost at harbor freight . . $95.00 plus tax

cost for big friend to do it for you - 1 case o' beer and you get to drink half anyway
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Starfury

I'm a supporter of the friend and case of beer method It's worked for me a couple times...

barnett468

lol, me too, however, it seems i have to keep making new friends after my old ones realize the bad deal they made.

hey, do ya wanna help me put my cast iron cobra jet intake manifold on next week. gold some frosty heine's in the cooler? perhaps the exhaust manifolds instead?
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racer_dave

hahahaha -my neighbors all hide when they see me outside. Evidently beer isn't enough any longer. I'll have to start paying with bourbon.

Certainly not easy as a one man show without a jack, but neccessity is the mother of invention.

I had close to zero budget to race on back then, so buying a jack or paying wasn't an option for me. I used to wait behind the tire barn and when the big money drivers bought 4 new tires, I'd grab their old ones as they got thrown on the discard pile, and roll them around to get put on my rims. And I knew the check I wrote for fuel and pit entry would bounce until I got paid at the end of the night. Seems like forever ago, but would have been about 1989...

Chromeshadow

I've used a large floor jack, 2x4 blocks, just muscled a few in. I'd buy or rent a transmission jack now- it will save time and frustration. You will prob need 2 people.

DistantHorizon

Thanks for all the solid replies, especially this step-by-step. I did expect I'd need a friend to do this.