Removing gearbox @ home can it be done??

[Guest RedLineGTR]

Pretty much I need to remove my gearbox out of my r33 gtst, I’m pretty keen to do it myself as I think I will be able to manage getting the gearbox out and fitting another one, but my issue is how can I get the car high enough to be able to get the box out??? Should I use stands, those drive on ramps??? No idea what would be better and the height I need.

Can someone help us out with an idea, on what’s the best way to do it??

Cheers Rob

[The Dan]

Drive on ramps are good and will be more stable than the stands but I would advise getting the rear up in the air also, it will make things a lot easier for you.

Make sure you have 3/8 drive sockets and long extensions, there aren't many bolts that hold the thing in there and most of them are easier to get from underneath. If you can't get them all from underneath, you may have to remove the heater hoses from the firewall to get at the top two but other than that she's a piece of cake.

[The Dan]

if it's an auto, it is VERY important that you undo the torque converter bolts first and push the converter back into the box before removal.

That is all.

[Guest RedLineGTR]

Drive on ramps are good and will be more stable than the stands but I would advise getting the rear up in the air also, it will make things a lot easier for you.

Make sure you have 3/8 drive sockets and long extensions, there aren't many bolts that hold the thing in there and most of them are easier to get from underneath. If you can't get them all from underneath, you may have to remove the heater hoses from the firewall to get at the top two but other than that she's a piece of cake.

Cool, thanks for the advice...but still not sure about the drive on ramps if i will have enough height to be able to slide the gearbox out when i have got it out..oh well i just will have to find a pair and see how high

[Guest RedLineGTR]

if it's an auto, it is VERY important that you undo the torque converter bolts first and push the converter back into the box before removal.

That is all.

One of my mates i think will be doing a auto conversion soon, out of my own interest why would you push it back??

[The Dan]

to keep it in the gearbox, you have to keep the converter aligned with the gearbox and in the gearbox. General rule for all mechanics...whenever you remove an auto....ALWAYS undo the converter first and push it back into the box (away from the engine). If your friend already has the Auto out of the car and the converter is seperate, the way to align them is...place the converter onto the input shaft of the gearbox and spin it around while pushing it in, this should correctly align the converter into the G/box. If you leave the converter attached to the flex plate, you will NEVER EVER get the gearbox back on again.

With your ramps...they probably won't be quite tall enough to get the g/box out but if you get the box off first then use a trolley jack to raise the height from there, you should be able to slide it out the side (just be very careful while jacking car when on ramps or stands). Then you can lower the car back onto the ramps when the box is out. Then repeat to get back in. Obviously the easiest way is to use a two post hoist but this is probably the next practical way to do it. Plus you may need two people at some stages.

[Guest RedLineGTR]

to keep it in the gearbox, you have to keep the converter aligned with the gearbox and in the gearbox. General rule for all mechanics...whenever you remove an auto....ALWAYS undo the converter first and push it back into the box (away from the engine). If your friend already has the Auto out of the car and the converter is seperate, the way to align them is...place the converter onto the input shaft of the gearbox and spin it around while pushing it in, this should correctly align the converter into the G/box. If you  leave the converter attached to the flex plate, you will NEVER EVER get the gearbox back on again.  

With your ramps...they probably won't be quite tall enough to get the g/box out but if you get the box off first then use a trolley jack to raise the height from there, you should be able to slide it out the side (just be very careful while jacking car when on ramps or stands). Then you can lower the car back onto the ramps when the box is out. Then repeat to get back in. Obviously the easiest way is to use a two post hoist but this is probably the next practical way to do it. Plus you may need two people at some stages.

Awesome, my mates is doing the conversion from auto the man i'll let him know about it. I myself am swapping manual gearbox's.

Thanks For All Your Time.

[Rezz]

Well done guys... this thread should go in the DIY section.

[Jay95R33]

Yepp, pretty straight forward.

A few tips;

Top starter motor bolt is a bit of a ****. Just take your time.

To get to the top 1 or 2 bolts on the gearbox/engine, lower the back of the gearbox down by jacking the front of the motor up. Keep an eye on the hoses and stuff in the engine bay so you don't stretch anything. Then get four 12 inch long 1/2 inch extension bars and feed them in from the rear of the gearbox to get the two top bolts. Get someone up the front to line it up with the bolt while you undo them.

If your not taking the clutch/presure plate out you'll be right, but if you do then it's a pain to get it line up so the box slots in right. If it doesn't then try and get the gab between the gearbox and the motor even all the way around the bellhousing, then get someone at the back of the gearbox pushing forward with their feet while you siggle the crap out of the gearbox This is the hardest part. Sometimes it takes ages, sometimes it slots straight in...

J

[ferni]

a mate pulled out his box in his backyard (33gtst) you guys are crazy, i'd never do it, pulled mine out a couple of times but on a hoist with a transmission jack, makes it a lot easier, took us 2 hours to pull it out on saturday (GTR box so a bit heavier etc..) and that was stuffing around...

I think he found it a lot harder to get hte box back in rather than getting it out... something to keep in mind..

personally i wouldn't try it without a hoist/transmission jack... but its your car

[wrxhoon]

The ramps should be high enough to get the box out but i always use stands .

jack the front up first put stands under then the rear and put stands there too .

If you are going to do a clutch at the same time you need an alighning tool to line it up .

If you don't have one you can buy a cheap one from an auto shop. Like jay said the top starter bolt is a bitch to undo and a bit harder to do up but its doable .

When you undo the attesa pipe at the rear of the box have something to block it so it won't leak and get air in it and when you put it back you may have to bleed the system .

The gtr box is very heavy , about 90 kg so don't try to lift it and its a good idea to chain it on to the jack cause the transfer case makes it twist .

I hope you know how to release the fork if you still have the pull clutch in it ( thats what they come with ) . if you don't know post or pm and i'll try to explain . Jay has a 32 with a push clutch so you dont have to release the fork .

Make sure you pull the gear lever off as well , other than that you can see what you have to pull off once you are under the car , all the usual stuff .

To get to the 2 top box bolts you won't have to jack the motor up , before you undo the box crossmember put the jack under and just drop down slowly until you can get to them .

[SeriesIIGTST]

I took out and put my gearbox back in on my 33 gtst not 4 weeks ago in my garage. Like most people have said, I drove the front of the car up on ramps then jacked the back of the car up and put it on stands so the whole car was in the air. The tip about lowering the back of the gearbox to help get to the top bolts is invaluable. As is having many long 1/2" drive extension bars. With the starter motor bolts, we found two people got it on and off fairly easily although it's certianly fiddly. One would hold the socket on the bolt from beneath the car while the 2nd person turned the socket using the rachet from the top. Slow progress but doable.

In terms of putting it back in, we didn't have a transmission jack but a handy trick was to put some rope around the front and back of the 'box, feed the rope through the hole where the gearstick feeds though and then get a guy with a few muscles to physically lift the box up into position while a friend or two positions your normal trolley jack under the box to help hold it. Then it's just a matter of co-ordination lifting and aligning to get it to slot back in.

Good luck!

[SeriesIIGTST]

hmm...re-reading my post. Lifting part sounds dodgy but seriously, you don't have to be superman to lift the box, i could lift it and hold it while my friends positioned the jack and i'm no muscle bound gym junkie.

Transmission jack would certainly make it easier though

[The Dan]

good luck getting a transmission jack under a car that's on ramps and stands...lol

[KamikazeR33]

guys ive done it ont ramps n ill never do it like that again. if u have 2 do it its gonna take u a while to get back in... u gotta turn the box sideways so u can get the housings around.

long extentions are ur friend when undoing the top bolts.. these are cruicial (u dont have to lift the motor to do this). otherwise it will take u 4 hrs trying to get the sucker back in and done up.

also rob make sure u have a few mates handy as it can be a pain and get quite tiring trying to get the gearbox back in when ur lying on the ground trying to realign everything

[Cubes]

Buy a 4post second hand hoist. They can be had for around $2500..

I've used a pit mostly in the past. Used a 4post hoist once.

4post with a gearbox jack was so so easy.

I done a RB25t g/box drop out of Darrens (Bl4ck32) R32 RB30DET when the umm spiggot bush was wasn't umm installed..

It was actually quite easy, nothing too bad. It wasn't a bad experience that put me off. Next time may be a different story though.

The front wheels up on ramps. 2 hydraulic jacks.

One for the front of the gearbox & one for the rear.

The trick is to rope or chain the gearbox to the rear jack so it doesn't slip off.

Use some stacked wood to take the small fall after the box is pulled out past the flywheel.

We removed and installed the gearbox in around 4hrs from memory.

I would recommend to have 2 people working side by side under the car with one that can work the front jack from the front of the car. Maybe the old man or old dear from inside when you need them.

The RB20DET box can basically be picked up by 1 person. The 25t box is quite a bit heavier. I know I struggled with it.

[wrxhoon]

Of course if you have a hoist and gearbox jack is much easier but it can be done on stands too .

I've been doing it for years , lift the car as high as you can and use 4 stands and you can fit everything under there no problems .

You need to have another person to help you and a good trolley jack ( profesional not a toy ) and you can do it .

As for puting it back its easy if you have the clutch aligned ( you need a tool or an old main shaft ) if not aligned you will never get it in , i dont care how many mates you have there .

If you dont have basic tools ( long extensions , uni joints and the like) don't try it .

Gtst boxes are much easier i must tell you though ( no transfer case to twist the box ) , thats why i use a chain to chain it to the trolley jack .

[The Dan]

Another trick if you don't wanna go out and buy a clutch aligning tool is get a broom handle and carefully machine down one end to fit perfectly into the clutch spline. You can use a bench grinder or you can get a redneck uncle to whittle it for ya. Whatever ya cup of tea....she works like a treat. Just gotta make sure it is even all round.

Or if you're really good, you'll never ever need one. Coz you'll be like me and do every single one by eye...about 100 now and never had to re align one...but hey.

[Cubes]

I used a bolt that fit snug in to the spiggot bush.

Then found a piece of rubber hose that fit over the bolt nice and snug.

Then another piece of rubber hose slightly bigger that slid over the bolt & smaller rubber hose.

It was a perfect fit.. G/box went straight in.

You can get the plastic clutch aligning tool from the local auto shop for next to nothing.

The one you get is a datsun/nissan one.

[The Dan]

yeah, it's like 15 bucks or something...

but then the job doesn't have that whole...backyard smell to it!

yunno what I mean. lol