Tips on transmission removal 1954 Ford

[LOWRIDER]

I used to do that all the time. Cars & trucks would come in that would no longer crank over due to a chewed up flexplate. Working flat rate you had to finish it as quickly as possible and get it repaired right. After you get the trans back far enough to reach the flywheel bolts you just remove the bolts & install the new flexplate. In my waaay younger days I had done so many I could do one in an hour.

 

[Crankster]

Transmission Removal Tips

Use your special Checkbook tool!

 

[GLAmes]

Hi
Do you think its possible to slide transmission back far enough to exchange the flexplate?

I think it could be done after removing the air flow duct and removing the 8 bolts that holds the transmission support to the frame. The rear side of the flexplate is only a little over an inch from the rear of the block so I'm thinking a person could get in there after sliding it back 4 inches. Of course more would be better.

 

[STEVE O]

Its in my sons garage without a lift. I've done mustang 289s a couple times pulling the trans back enough to replace the flywheel/flexplate but never a 54.
Thanks
Steve

 

[darrell]

as has been said it will go back far enough. pull the carpet back over the hump and youll see 2 plugs in the floor.the 2 top bolts are behind them.

 

[evintho]

Pics always help. Here are the plugs to remove......

https://www.fordbarn.com/attachments/481759/

 

[STEVE O]

Thanks to everyone. I appreciate all the responses. We will slide back just enough to swap out the flexplate!

 

[Daves55Sedan]

Sorry KULTULZ and Daves55sedan but if I understand correctly the only way to get the transmission out is to separate the bellhousing & transmission for it to get it out of there? Steve

On a '55/56 full size car, the last trans crossmember prevents you from lowering the whole trans + converter bellhousing as a unit. You actually need to push the trans further back toward the rear and tilt the trans case down while pulling forward in order to clear the bottom of the bellhousing. There is barely enough room to do that.
One other way to do it (but you still need to separate the trans case from the bellhousing and converter under the car), is to hold the trans case up with your floor jack (very dangerous) while you are removing flex-plate to converter bolts and bellhousing to engine bolts, then lower the converter and bellhousing down after pushing the trans case backward to allow front pump shaft to clear the converter (and extreme caution is required because you don't want to bump the two dogs and break them off of the converter hub). After the bellhousing and converter are out of the way, then there's all kinds of room to roll your floor-jack forward with the trans case on it and lower without the need to tilt the case. I recommend having TWO guys under the car working the jack, moving the jack forward and back and the other guy removing bolts and holding on to trans case/bellhousing to prevent falling off jack and onto concrete floor where they can easily crack.
The way I described to remove initially by pulling case out first and then removing converter and bellhousing I have actually done myself MANY times on different cars ('55/56's) without any help. I am about 5'-4" tall and never weighed more than 102 lbs my entire life. Never had any problems, but I'm highly well organized, properly tooled (even with my home-made floor-jack and other homemade tools) have patience and methodology to complete the task. It is not easy, but it is worth it if you can do it yourself, you know it is right and you save a ton of money in labor costs and don't have to worry about some moron in a shop who cares nothing for your car rip[ping things apart and breaking stuff that is not easily replaced.
A THIRD way is to remove car radiator, disconnect all wiring and hoses to the engine, remove all engine mount bolts, then pull both the entire engine and full transmission out of the car a a unit. If doing this, I would recommend removing air-cooled converter intake air duct and screen under the car and the engine crankshaft ventilation tube so that those wont get bent or damaged during engine removal.

 

[Daves55Sedan]

I think it could be done after removing the air flow duct and removing the 8 bolts that holds the transmission support to the frame. The rear side of the flexplate is only a little over an inch from the rear of the block so I'm thinking a person could get in there after sliding it back 4 inches. Of course more would be better.

You have to get the converter away from the flex-plate in order54 to access the bolts that hold the flex-plate to the engine crankshaft. So in that scenario, the converter is laying in the bottom of the bellhousing and ready to fall over against the back of the engine. I guess you could get a roll of bailing wire, pull the converter back and tie it up against the bellhousing bolt-holes, but would there still be enough room to get a socket and socket wrench in between the front of the converter and flex-plate??? Maybe a breaker bar, but a socket wrench, I'm skeptical.
Also, how do you hoist the converter back up on the new flex-plate with the bellhousing in the way (and get the holes to line up too)???'
Have you personally done that on a '54?

 

[darrell]

the converter doesnt fall out.all you need is a boxend wrench.

 

[KULTULZ]

1st you need a 1954 CAR WSM to help you along with the car. Best way out (IMO) is a CD set.

LOOK HERE - https://www.themotorbookstore.com/1952-1954-ford-factory-shop-manuals-cd.html

This will give a full description as to how and why.

ATTACHED -

There are two pages in the 1954 WSM describing R&R. Below is PG 1. It should give you an idea of how to go about it. I will post PG2 when I figure this %#&!* computer out ...

 

[GLAmes]

You have to get the converter away from the flex-plate in order54 to access the bolts that hold the flex-plate to the engine crankshaft. So in that scenario, the converter is laying in the bottom of the bellhousing and ready to fall over against the back of the engine. I guess you could get a roll of bailing wire, pull the converter back and tie it up against the bellhousing bolt-holes, but would there still be enough room to get a socket and socket wrench in between the front of the converter and flex-plate??? Maybe a breaker bar, but a socket wrench, I'm skeptical.
Also, how do you hoist the converter back up on the new flex-plate with the bellhousing in the way (and get the holes to line up too)???'
Have you personally done that on a '54?

What????? The converter slides onto the input shaft of the transmission. When you unbolt it from the flexplate it will spin freely but doesn't fall into the bottom of the bellhousing. There is an access plate at the bottom of the bellhousing for the purpose of removing the TC bolts. I have installed the torque converter on the transmission shaft and then installed the transmission onto the engine, so yes.

 

[STEVE O]

Hi everyone,
I do appreciate all the info from everyone. KULTULZ I do appreciate the page from the service manual (i did find a section in a Chiltons manual but not nearly as detailed). Yes I would greatly appreciate if you get page 2 posted as I'm not going to buy a manual or cd at this point as my son is going to sell the 54 once get a few things fixed.
Steve

 

[Daves55Sedan]

What????? The converter slides onto the input shaft of the transmission. When you unbolt it from the flexplate it will spin freely but doesn't fall into the bottom of the bellhousing. There is an access plate at the bottom of the bellhousing for the purpose of removing the TC bolts. I have installed the torque converter on the transmission shaft and then installed the transmission onto the engine, so yes.

The converter is front-heavy and the only thing holding it in place in the bellhousing is the converter hub's engagement with the front pump. If the trans is tilted slightly downward at the front, the converter hub will fall out of the front pump and may break off a couple of ring gear teeth and also crack or break off one or both of the dogs on the converter hub, rendering it useless.
As far as the torque converter to flex-plate bolts, yes you should remove the half-moon shaped front inspection plate and rotate crankshaft till the tabs on the flex-plate appear and remove those 3 bolts then rotate another 180 degrees and get the other 3 bolts off. That will separate the converter from the flex-plate so you can push the transmission bellhousing away from the engine in order to access the flex-plate-to-engine crankshaft bolts. The question is, will there be enough room to get a socket and breaker bar between the front of bellhousing and flexplate to remove those bolts.

 

[KULTULZ]

KULTULZ I do appreciate the page from the service manual (i did find a section in a Chiltons manual but not nearly as detailed). Yes I would greatly appreciate if you get page 2 posted ...

Sorry, I have tried. I am not sure how I got the 1st page.

This machine is like my old lady ... PMS 24/7 ...

 

[STEVE O]

Hi ,
Daves55Sedan thanks for the tips and suggestions. KULTULZ thanks for your attempts at posting the second page. If my son doesn't sell or trade this 54 in the next few weeks I will report back at how we get along.
Thanks
Steve

 

[GLAmes]

The converter is front-heavy and the only thing holding it in place in the bellhousing is the converter hub's engagement with the front pump. If the trans is tilted slightly downward at the front, the converter hub will fall out of the front pump and may break off a couple of ring gear teeth and also crack or break off one or both of the dogs on the converter hub, rendering it useless.
As far as the torque converter to flex-plate bolts, yes you should remove the half-moon shaped front inspection plate and rotate crankshaft till the tabs on the flex-plate appear and remove those 3 bolts then rotate another 180 degrees and get the other 3 bolts off. That will separate the converter from the flex-plate so you can push the transmission bellhousing away from the engine in order to access the flex-plate-to-engine crankshaft bolts. The question is, will there be enough room to get a socket and breaker bar between the front of bellhousing and flexplate to remove those bolts.

It's painfully obvious that you have never seen a '54 torque converter nor ever installed one. I'm not sure where your other idea comes from either. If the torque converter isn't attached to the input shaft of the transmission how does the power get transferred?

So here are some pictures for your edification. The TC has 18 bolts and nuts around it's circumference that hold it to the flex plate. The transmission input shaft is four inches long and the cavitty it slides into is four inches deep. Looking at the input shaft, the bevel that is at the 1 1/2 inch mark is where the snap ring I spoke of previously clamps the shaft. That keeps the TC from moving fore and aft.

And yes, I believe the transmission with the bellhousing and TC connected can be slid rearward enough to get a wrench on the flexplate bolts.

 

[paul2748]

I think you are wrong. It's been awhile since I removed my Fordo for a C-4, but they were both the same as far as the converter was concerned. No attachment of the converter to the main trans. Power is transferred to the converter via the splines on the input shaft of the main trans. Both converters (Fordo and C4) would just slide in and slide out. My Fordo was a 56 air cooled, I would assume the 54 converter was the same.


I assume the the two tangs at the rear of the converter also connect to something in the main case. Not being an autotrans guy, I don't know the mechanics of it.

It's painfully obvious that you have never seen a '54 torque converter nor ever installed one. I'm not sure where your other idea comes from either. If the torque converter isn't attached to the input shaft of the transmission how does the power get transferred?

 

[KULTULZ]

... ain't this something ... ???

A food fight and I was not the instigator or involved ...

 

[dmsfrr]

These '54 (& '55 / '56 ?) and newer flex plate examples fasten to the torque converter with either 6 or 4 bolts. Depending if they're the 'early' or newer / replacement style.
.