Which is easier

mhaim

mhaim

Junior Member
Want to replace the transmission in my 34 with a 39 unit I have. Which is easier. Pull the engine or the rear end. Thanks. Bill
 
I have always pulled the axle to remove the trans.......never even thought about pulling the engine......axle out seems easier to me......
 
Oh yeah, pull the rear back. It's especially easy if you still have mechanical brakes.
You only need to roll it back about 6" or so.
 
Agree pulling the rear is the easier of the two, but any chance you'd be wanting to rebuild the engine any time soon?
 
If you have hydraulic brakes put a longer flex line going to the torque tube . Then you can move the assembly back with out having to bleed the brakes.
 
Pulling the rear is easier, but you miht hav issues with some engine related parts. Kill two birds with one transmission. Ya have to think lazy.
 
slowforty said:
If you have hydraulic brakes put a longer flex line going to the torque tube . Then you can move the assembly back with out having to bleed the brakes.
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if he does that it will allow air to enter so he will need to bleed brakes anyway.
 
if you are a metal fabber guy, here's a top cover i made to make the job easier. when pulling the trans out the floor you are in an awkward position, and nothing to grab on to, and...they are heavy. this is simple to make, and now you have a handle. used for painting cases too
 

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I've done it both ways - probably too many times! LOL. I've come to the conclusion that I much prefer to pull the engine/trans as one unit. This just makes working on the whole package (clutch, flywheel, throw-out bearing) much easier and I do a better job when I can see things, not have to do all my work on a damn 'creeper', etc.. In most situations, if I need to swap out the trans, I may also need to resurface the flywheel, put in a new clutch, etc.. It is a whole lot easier to do all that work and then mount the transmission to the engine (prior to putting it all back in) - while BOTH are out and the engine is mounted on a side-mount engine stand. You can rotate the block so the bell-housing is up, then easily drop the transmission right onto it.

Also, I can do it MUCH faster. I can have the engines/trans out in about 2 hours - with a lot less crawling around on the floor . . .
 
"Easiest way" might depend on what tools you have and how much empty space is in your workspace. I pulled the engine out of my Dearborn wagon after only 7 miles without removing anything but the fan and radiator to swap out the junk new TO bearing. I now test new TO bearings on my drill press before trusting they are good.
In this case I left the trans in and used 4 4" bolts with the heads cut off and screwdrivers slots cut into the back , screwed into the block and a floor jack under the trans to adjust the angle. These "line up pins" made it very easy to mate the engine back to the trans. Nothing scraped or damaged.
Now that I am 70 I find concrete floors less forgiving then when I was younger! I usually pull the trans with the engine. A QUALITY device to level and change the angle of your attachment to the engine is crucial.
I understand not wanting to mess with the front end sheet metal of a 33-34 if you don't have a good way of pulling the motor and trans out the front definitely roll the rear back.

I like your car, I have a 33 standard phaeton.
 
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Given that the subject vehicle is a '34 and not a later model with their more complex front end sheet metal fits, I'm with Bored&Stroked; pull the engine and transmission as an assembly.
 
DavidG said:
Given that the subject vehicle is a '34 and not a later model with their more complex front end sheet metal fits, I'm with Bored&Stroked; pull the engine and transmission as an assembly.
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I do it the same way with a 32 - it is not hard to 'align' the front radiator, grille and hood as about the only real adjustment (other than maybe some spacers/shims under the radiator mount tabs) - is the length of the radiator support rods. I always loosen then the same way, and assemble them in the same location (left/right) - such that I can put them back, snug up the nuts and everything is extremely closely aligned with how it originally came apart.
 
I do like the idea of pulling the engine. I can do almost the whole thing standing up. And once it’s out I can do some touch up in the engine bay. Thanks for all the pros and cons. Bill
 
Also, upon reassembly, I have a little block of wood that I wedge between the top of the torque tube and the floor-pan - to push it down into the approximately correct position. It tends to want to rotate/pop up when the transmission is pulled - so the block keeps it pushed down to help me align the u-joint and the driveshaft as I'm sliding the engine/trans back into place.

Also, having a floor-jack with wheels to lift the transmission to the correct angle as you reassemble is a must. The wheels can roll with it as you're pushing the transmission/u-joint into the proper location.
 
Or one of those long brackets with the threaded loop on a threaded rod with a handle on the end that permits you to adjust the angle of the hanging engine transmission assembly as required. It is especially handy when everything is all nicely painted as new and you want to avoid paint chips on the firewall and cross members. I'm not sure, but likely Harbor Freight carries them.
 
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