Take your speedometer cable loose from the gauge cluster and push some of it through the firewall to get more slack, then just unscrew it from the tranny. Get a big chunk of wood like a 2X12 and put that between your jack and the oil pan of the motor and just jack up until there is a tad bit of tension. Once the clutch is disconnected and the U-Joint has been removed and the shifter has been taken out, just drop it down a tad, then back it out.

 

ok so the cable isn't comming out.not sure what to do.

 

+1 om gettin those flex plate bolts off. withoutr taking them off it is nea impossibke to get the tranny off (even though it might seem loose without removing them)

 

He said it was a top loader "4 speed manual"....

 

If the cable won't unscrew from the tranny, just cut the bastard off with a hack saw and deal with a new one later.

 

cable should come out, prolly a little stuck from age. just kick the crap outta it and it will come

+1 on the jack under the motor too, you dont wanna beat the crap out of your motor mounts by letting the motor sag down in the back while there is no tranny there to support it.

 

you need to let the engine sag a bit when you are pulling the trans, the input shaft is kinda long and its stuck into the back of the crankshaft. It needs to clear the bellhousing on its way out, so you need room to the rear, that means lowering the rear of the engine. Lift the engine after the trans is out.

Crossmember, mount, bellhousing bolts, shifter handle, speedo cable. Thats all you gotta remove. I cant remember if there is a wire for the backup lights on the toploader, its been a long time since I messed with one. If you arent a big guy who can bench around 200lbs, use a jack to hold the trans up while you move it rearward. They dont weight 200lbs but holding them for a long period of time can be very taxing.
Putting it back in will be fun since you havent done one before.

If you are replacing the clutch, thre are 6 bolts holding the bellhousing to the engine, and more holding the pressure plate to the flywheel. Its straight forward and simple, you should have it on the floor already.


about the speedo cable sticking. Make sure there isnt a bolt or clip holding it in, you could remove the gear assembly with it rather than pull the cable off A vise grips applied just tight enough to grasp the cable, very near the transmission will allow you to twist it slightly in the hole, it should then pop out provided it isnt still fastened to the trans. If you use too much pressure you will crimp the cable and it wont work anymore..

 

Yeah the cable is definately not working properly anyways. The speedo works in reverse. I know that is weird but like I said before, this car came from a guy that really didn't know what he was doing. Not that I do, but atleast I am taking the time to learn. I'm pretty sureI have everything off that I need off (except the cable of course) but I can't get the tranny to budge.

 

take the cable loose from the back of the speedo and push all the slack threw the firewall. I bet the gears and jammed because they are the wrong ones. I also bet its going to be a royal bicth to get out even once the trans is out.

 

I'm about to find out. My neighbor came over and we dropped it. It was just a little tricky getting it out but its on the ground now. Gonna try to get the cable loose with it on the ground. If that don't work, I'm gonna feed it through the firewall and just leave it attached. Then I'll get it on the bench and start pulling. Thanks for all the help guys.