The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Removing Motor and Trans as a unit

I have a 51 GMC 1/2 ton, the truck has a 235 6 and a 4 speed trans. I want to pull the motor and trans as a unit. Is this possible to do, the rearend is a torque tube and the trans has the shifter tower and hangs lower then the rear engine cross member, the front clip and bed have been removed.
Thanks !!

Absolutely. Check out my webshots below and you'll see mine as I was doing it.

No offense, moneypit, but I don't see the picture of your 4 speed and engine bolted together going into or out of the truck. My understanding based on my own truck is that it is impossible to leave the engine and 4 speed transmission bolted together and remove it from the truck without raising the cab or cutting the crossmember. You can remove the shift tower by unbolting it from the top of the transmission but this doesn't give enough clearance in my truck.

It is possible with the 3 speed because the crossmember does not interfere.

However, it is easy to just unbolt the 4 bolts from the transmission and slide the engine right out. (Support the transmission.)

I thought that I would have to unbolt the trans but just wanted to be sure, with the motor and bell houding out is there enough room slide the trans forward to uncouple the torque tube, The trans looks heavy and I am sure the tube must be supported also. Is this true !!
Thanks

It is all designed so that the trans can be removed without removing the rear end or the enging.

Unbolt the bell at the rear of the trans and slide it back to access the ujoint assembly. Unbolt the ujoint assembly and slide the yoke back and lower the torque tube. Don't just let it fall, the bell will be damaged. The trans can now be unbolted. Two bolts inside the bell housing and two outside. The trans is heavy, but depending on your strength you can strong arm it out. It is best to use a jack or a cherry picker.

There two sets of bolts on the bell one set is for the back half of the bell and the other is actually bolted to the rear trans case, which bolts do I remove to get to the u joint ??

Remove the bell cover's bolts (the collar that hold the bell into it's housing). Lonnie's instruction are good.

Yes, it is possible to remove an engine with the transmission on it. I did it with 4-speed last month (for a friend who did not want to remove the transmission). However, my first choice would be to remove the transmission before removing the engine.

The trans is out,,, thanks for the help