Interesting mix there. Looks to be an early torque tube tranny bolted to a late model bellhousing. Are all four of the tranny mounting bolts being utilized?
I remember as a young man if one cylinder was bad we would just pull that one piston and put new rings on it and put it back together... now we didn't work for napa or nascar we were just poor and did things that were quick and cheap... oh. we honed the cylinder before reinstalling the piston if I remember correctly.. we used the same main bearing, etc.. that was if it was a broken ring.. if it was a valve problem that was a different ballgame.. had to pull the head then..
Wish I was as good now as I was then.. I don't know how we did the things then that worked..
Doug
1954 Chevy 3100 One problem solved doesn’t seem to shorten the list Montgomery, AL In Project Journals
Doug, I'm with you. I was fearless in high school and college when it came to doing anything on a car. Mainly because I was broke and had no choice but to do it myself.
Now I overthink everything and chicken out.
I remember rebuilding the front suspension on my '68 Camaro in the driveway when it was about 12 degrees outside. My dad walked out to smoke a cigarette, looked at the coil spring with the compression tool still cinching it up tight, laying on the ground and said, "Dont kill yourself!" and walked back into the house.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
Interesting mix there. Looks to be an early torque tube tranny bolted to a late model bellhousing. Are all four of the tranny mounting bolts being utilized?
Yes later model engine with old 4 speed transmission. I saw 4 large 9/16 bolts connecting the engine to the bellhousing. I don’t know about any from the inside? I removed 3 of those 4. The top left one I couldn’t turn so I’m resorting to remove the transmission. I removed the 2 transmission rubber mounts and the bolts & the clutch fork pin. I need to remove the sealed drive shaft (torque tube)? to pull the transmission out? How does that work. When I remove the cover from the torque tube can I just pull it out from the rear or do I need to remove the mid bearing too? I have the engine connected to the hoist on its left side. I need more chain & hook to connect the right side. If I pull the engine up and shake it & jerk it around it should come out with the bellhousing connected to the motor??
Last edited by glennj3; 08/11/20233:58 PM.
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
Have you removed the floor cover? That model should have a metal covering over the trans & bell housing. It can be removed by taking out the 5/16 in. bolts with 1/2 in wrench.
If that cover is removed you should be able to get to those upper BH bolts. Like I previously stated there are 6 bolts holding the BH to the back of the engine. By "9/16 bolts " you must be referring to size of the hex head & wrench to remove them. They are actually 3/8 bolts. There are 2 on each side & 2 across the top. If you can get these out you can pull the engine without the BH or trans.
George
Last edited by Wrenchbender Ret.; 08/12/20232:01 AM.
They say money can't buy happiness. It can buy old Chevy trucks though. Same thing. 1972 Chevy c10 Cheyenne Super In the Gallery Forum
I removed 3 of those 4. The top left one I couldn’t turn so I’m resorting to remove the transmission. I removed the 2 transmission rubber mounts and the bolts & the clutch fork pin. I need to remove the sealed drive shaft (torque tube)? to pull the transmission out? How does that work. When I remove the cover from the torque tube can I just pull it out from the rear or do I need to remove the mid bearing too? I have the engine connected to the hoist on its left side. I need more chain & hook to connect the right side. If I pull the engine up and shake it & jerk it around it should come out with the bellhousing connected to the motor??
I get nervous for you every time I read your posts. PLEASE be careful and think about what you're doing.
Before unbolting ANY of the motor mounts you should have your engine lifting points figured out and have the cherry picker attached and ready to handle the load. Safety First!
The transmission DOES NOT have any motor mounts, if you remove the engine with the bellhousing attached the transmission will fall...the SM-420 weighs about 135 pounds and it will do damage.
The bellhousing DOES have side motor mounts...if you chose to separate the engine from the bellhousing, I recommend you leave the bellhousing motor mounts connected and you put a jack stand under the transmission rear output shaft housing to keep the trans level. That way you can wiggle and bump on the engine and the rest of the driveline won't shift out of place and fall.
Work safe!
Mike B
Mike Boteler
1956 Chevy 3100 Resto Rod 1952 Willys M38 Army Jeep 1983 Jeep CJ7 Laredo 1984 Jeep CJ7 +++++ Silver Spring, MD
I’ll reply to both Mike & George. I’ve not removed the floorboard. It is not original and is metal, like tin. I’ll need to remove the carpet and look at what’s holding it on. Regarding the potential of the transmission falling. I certainly appreciate you concerns! The transmission sits on a crossmember (did you see the picture of the nasty looking rubber mount that the transmission was sitting on) the bolts were loose. From my perspective the transmission is positioned with the torque tube from the rear, is sitting on the crossmember & has the one bolt holding the bellhousing to the motor. I do have the hoist attached to the engine’s left side. The motor stays on the mounts when not lifted up. It had a bolt holding each side to the mounts. It had no rubber there. I hope to look at it again tomorrow. Again thank you so much!
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
Once the engine and transmission is out of the way, everything even remotely resembling a motor mount needs to be cut out, and some better designed ones need to be fabricated and installed. Someone has done a horrendously bad job of adapting that engine to the bell housing and the frame! A standard shift bell housing for a 1964-1970 or so pickup (V8 or 6 cylinder) will have the correct bolt pattern to mate to the engine, and it will accept the SM-420 bolt pattern. Then you can go about adapting the proper bellhousing to the frame without all the blacksmithing that's been done so far. If you install a tubular cross member in line with the front motor mounts, there will be a 4 point support for the engine and bellhousing, and no rear mount for the transmission will be needed. Open and closed driveline SM-420's are virtually the same- - - -only the rear bearing retainer with the torque tube pivot area and the universal joint is different. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I removed 3 of those 4. The top left one I couldn’t turn so I’m resorting to remove the transmission. I removed the 2 transmission rubber mounts and the bolts & the clutch fork pin. I need to remove the sealed drive shaft (torque tube)? to pull the transmission out? How does that work. When I remove the cover from the torque tube can I just pull it out from the rear or do I need to remove the mid bearing too? I have the engine connected to the hoist on its left side. I need more chain & hook to connect the right side. If I pull the engine up and shake it & jerk it around it should come out with the bellhousing connected to the motor??
Originally Posted by Mike B
I get nervous for you every time I read your posts. PLEASE be careful and think about what you're doing.
Before unbolting ANY of the motor mounts you should have your engine lifting points figured out and have the cherry picker attached and ready to handle the load. Safety First!
The transmission DOES NOT have any motor mounts, if you remove the engine with the bellhousing attached the transmission will fall...the SM-420 weighs about 135 pounds and it will do damage.
The bellhousing DOES have side motor mounts...if you chose to separate the engine from the bellhousing, I recommend you leave the bellhousing motor mounts connected and you put a jack stand under the transmission rear output shaft housing to keep the trans level. That way you can wiggle and bump on the engine and the rest of the driveline won't shift out of place and fall.
Work safe!
Mike B
glennj3,
X1000 for what Mike B has said above!!! Absolutely "SAFETY FIRST"!
From what I have been able to see of the already present pictures, and your info that the engine and transmission do not appear to be fully supported at this time, the likely-hood of getting that last bolt out to separate the engine from the bellhousing is between slim and NONE.
Your engine and transmission are probably already (at least on some small scale) somewhat separated because of the removal of the other bolt, which will put huge tension on the last bolt making it almost impossible to remove without relieving that tension. Problem is amplified with the improper engine/transmission mounts and lack of support to both.
Would highly recommend stepping back, getting your engine and transmission fully secured/supported, then trying to tackle removing that last bolt on the bellhousing. Oh and definitely investigate for the removable transmission access pan inside the cab to allow for bolt access.
Come back and update us please and thanks!
Dan
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
"Helpful Hints". Many years ago when I was an auto mechanic, the top bell housing bolts were removed from underneath with a swivel socket and a very long extension.
51 GMC 100 with 59 chevy 261 under the hood. 3 on the floor with 3.42 gear.
They're also removed FIRST to keep the weight of the engine and transmission sagging down with no support from the other bolts from breaking the bell housing! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Good afternoon! Sometime I have to walk away and think. I jacked up the rear of the transmission. It did change the angle & I saw that the front end (edge) was only resting on the crossmember. I have the motor supported on the hoist. I guess it’s difficult to get bit strait so the shaft will slide out? I began removing floor panels. I don’t see how removing sections will help me get to that bolt. Most of the floor is solid. The part I removed did not get me a strait shot to the bolt, so that doesn’t help. I’m reverting back to thinking I need to remove the transmission, then the engine.
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
Make a couple of access holes in the firewall with a 1 inch hole saw, in line with the bolts. Then make round patches for the holes from 16 gauge sheet metal and attach them with a couple of self tapping screws, or use rubber plugs. Some sort of sheet metal butcher has already been there with a pop rivet tool, so a couple more holes won't hurt. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I would drop the tranny by disconnecting it from the bell housing. If you cant lower the tranny via a engine hoist thru the cab as I had suggested earlier, I would use a floor jack on wheels or better yet, a transmission jack that you can roll under the truck and raise up to support the tranny. First disconnect the driveline from the tranny, raising the driveline with UJoint up against the flooring and secure it in place. Disconnect and remove the rear transmission crossmember. You then have the space to unbolt the tranny from the bellhousing, pull back (with the weight now resting on the floorjack) then lower it down to pull out from under. This leaves the bell housing attached to the motor.
Obviously there are numerous things that need to be disconnected as well such as speedometer cable, etc. While down under, disconnect the clutch linkage, etc.
Food for thought.........
Craig
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
I thought I posted yesterday but I don’t see it now. I’ll repost. Yesterday evening I cut the hole through the floorboard. Had a strait shot to the upper left bolt. The engine was up with the hoist and the Jack was under the rear of the transmission. I put the socket in place & used a long wrench on the ratchet for leverage. It came out! Then i was able to remove the other one on the right (I had missed it). When the bolt turned out some the engine & transmission moved apart about an inch! I was so happy! I could lift the engine out now but I need to remove the fan. My impact wrench’s battery died last week (a Rigid). The battery I ordered was lost so I’m waiting on another one now. Hopefully I’ll get it Monday. By the way, I can get to the bellhousing transmission end from the floorboard now. Pictures & one of the transmission.
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
There is some black tar stuff under the carpet & heat cushion. Nasty when I put my hand in it. Also the metal shavings are from cutting the hole in the floorboard.
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
Hello again! Good news is that I got the engine removed😃. I have no engine stand so I’ll work on the floor. I’ll begin by removing the head & oil pan. I hope someone can ID her with these # on the block? # 843575, that 1st 8 could be a B
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
I think your casting # is actually 348675. If so, that would decode as a 1973-79 250 CI rated at either 100 or 105 HP. That casting number does not specify what vehicle it would have been installed in.
The second casting info is the blocks casting "date code".
E145 decodes as:
E = May 14 = 14th day of May 5 = 1975
Note the "76" cast below the "GM" is an indicator it most likely would have been for a 1976 model vehicle.
Dan
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
If you have no engine stand, the first order of business is to buy one, and don't pinch pennies. Inline sixes, even modern ones, are long and top-heavy, and tend to tip over forward. If you think an engine stand is expensive, check out the hourly rate at your local emergency room. Get a stand with FOUR wheels, and one that's long enough for the front wheels to be ahead of the crankshaft pulley.
I like to acquire a couple of pieces of square tubing that will slide into the existing tubes, and extend the front wheels several inches further forward. Drill holes for lock pins, or weld nuts on top of the original legs for a locking bolt.
As well as being safer than manhandling the engine on the floor, you'll save yourself untold amounts of frustration and wasted time by being able to work standing up. Work smarter, not harder! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I was thinking I’d use the hoist to work on the bottom. I thought a stand would be very expensive. As you said, convenience & safety should come first.
1953 Chevy 153A 3/4-ton Working on my project since 2015 Follow along in my DITY
I was thinking I’d use the hoist to work on the bottom. I thought a stand would be very expensive. As you said, convenience & safety should come first.
The first rule of lifting things: Never put any part of your body under the load. Working on the bottom of an engine hanging from a hoist if a BAD idea. Buy a proper engine stand.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
If you're determined to ignore safety concerns, stand the engine up on the flywheel and brace it securely in all directions to work on the bottom end. You'll work harder and spend almost as much money that way as if you'd bought a proper stand in the first place. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Some people almost give away their old engine stands on craigslist. Look for one, stay safe.
Craig
My '50 Chevy 3100 5 window, '62-235cu, 3:55 rear My truck ....... Respect The Rust If I'm not working on my truck, '65 m00stang or VW camper, I'm fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.
