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Gearbox removal - tips please


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Dear collective

Following last weekends destruction of gears, the 'box is coming out.   Having never done this before (engine and box were installed on the chassis before the body was mounted), I am looking for tips and suggestions for how best to manoeuvre the box out of the car.  I am comfortable with what needs to be disconnected etc, and the need to support the back of the lump.  What I am looking for are some tips on things like where to lift, how to angle the box etc, and things to avoid.  The box is obviously located under the dashboard, so first question is, how to lift it up and back?

TIA PFA

 

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I've been a serial manual TR gearbox remover since about 1985 - those days I did on my own with 2 jacks and blocks of wood. The last one I removed was in my TR3A two years ago and it doesn't get any easier on the back, even though there were two of us!

John's setup looks ideal providing you can get sufficient tilt to clear the dash - I can't actually see how it tilts from the photo but suspect it does.

In any event you will still need to jack up the engine and support it (and the gearbox) to get the input shaft level to 'ease' removal and installation -  here's a couple of photos of how I support my TR3A engine.

Cheers, Andrew

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Edited by Andrew Smith
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I found putting a couple of handles on the box lets you rotate , pull and lift as necessary to get the lump onto the passenger side floor and beyond.  If there is grease nipple on the cross shaft remove it as the little blighter gets in the way. 

Best of luck

image.jpeg

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I have made one of John's gearbox cranes using the drawings he provided and it made it a simple enough task for me to remove and replace the box (+ overdrive) on my own.  I'm over seventy with a dodgy back so I wouldn't have contemplated it without the crane.  If you weren't in Australia I would offer you the one in my shed.  It cost about £50 to make and took a couple of days.  Far longer than it took to remove the box.

Rgds Ian

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We have a gearbox crane here which, as noted above, makes it a simple one man job. Luckily, I have had both my TR2 boxes out multiple times each over the last couple of years and had the crane to do it. In years past, admittedly when I was a bit (lot) younger I did it with my wife and one other.

To answer your questions doing it without the crane, this is my recollection of the process I used.

The box and od centre of gravity is at the front of the od, on the joint to the box.

Undo all the tailshaft, gearbox mount, grease nipple and speedo cable etc. Remove gearstick. Remove starter motor and clutch slave cyl.

Take the load of the engine/box by jacking up the engine at the back of the sump (use a suitable piece of wood to spread the load on the sump) but don't lift the box away from its rear mount.

Undo the gearbox from the engine but leave it in place.

Get under the car to take the load. Have someone else inside with a rope tied around the CoG and around their shoulders. Have the 3rd person gently jack up the rear of the engine to get the box about 5cm (maybe more or less) above the rear mount. You must take the load from underneath as the dashboard prevents it being held from above.

Wiggle the box back off the engine avoiding putting load on the input shaft. The person underneath will take most of the load until the box is back far enough for the person in the car to take the load on their shoulders.

Manoeuvre the box out the passenger door. Best to have liberal use of towels etc to protect the car.

Refitting is the reverse with more swearing and a dent in the forehead or broken nose when the box slips. Oh, and put a few studs in the engine bolt holes to line the box up as it goes in.

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I made up a lifting arm with a piece of 1 inch square tube and a couple of brackets, one screwed to the firewall. You just walk the box back on the chain with a block of wood to support under the OD drain plug, the box comes out on the passenger side the hardest part is lifting it out onto a milk crate. putting it back in I had to shorten the chain to get it high enough to clear the clutch fork. This lifting bracket has made it doable for a 78 year old. I took the rear mount and bracket out to get more forward and back movement and wire the clutch leaver to the bell housing as soon as you get the box back about 1/2 an inch.

 

Graham

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Edited by Graham Harris
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57 minutes ago, Graham Harris said:

I made up a lifting arm with a piece of 1 inch square tube and a couple of brackets, one screwed to the firewall. You just walk the box back on the chain with a block of wood to support under the OD drain plug, the box comes out on the passenger side the hardest part is lifting it out onto a milk crate. putting it back in I had to shorten the chain to get it high enough to clear the clutch fork. This lifting bracket has made it doable for a 78 year old. I took the rear mount and bracket out to get more forward and back movement and wire the clutch leaver to the bell housing as soon as you get the box back about 1/2 an inch.

 

Graham

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Clever. Well done!

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Hi guys - thanks to one and all for the great ideas and suggestions.  That's helped a lot - one day I may build that crane, but for now I'm going to run with those handles bolted across the top and some judicious application jacks and levers.

Thanks again - will let you know how I go.

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Well - the box is out, and came out relatively smoothly.  Worst parts were getting enough height to remove the rear mount plate and rubber block, and clearing the clutch arm.  

I removed the selector thingo and installed handles as suggested by Icarus.  

Initial inspection indicates that I've stripped some teeth from first gear on the output shaft, but it's probably time for a full inspection and refurb.

Thanks again for your help!image.thumb.png.685323448fe3d1ef495a6e49164569ad.png

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Looks good, but is there enough movement to enable you to turn the ‘box on its axis to allow the clutch lever to clear the floor?

This is a job that I’ve always done ‘manually’ with a beefy helper. In latter years I’ve always had a bit of luck in recruiting someone younger to operate on the underside. The advancing years make me think that a crane is not only a good idea but essential!

james

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2 hours ago, Tony_C said:

As always....... Some really good stuff here. However, can’t only be me.. getting the box out is a doddle compared to getting it back in... If it doesn’t line up first time, you can be in for hours of fun?!

 

Good luck with it

Tony

If you use three or four studs in the engine flange bolt holes to line up the gearbox on the flange, the box will slide in easily. 

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7 hours ago, richaras said:

Built this crane many years ago. Used it several times over the years. Has enabled me to do it all single handed an safely.

crane2 comp.jpg

This crane looks very handy, you fitted wheels on it?

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I used three long bolts as slides/guides both when removing and replacing the box. It went back on first time (thank goodness as I was dreading that bit! ) 

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  • 3 months later...

Hi there all, thank you for the ideas here,

I modified the contruction due to the materials I had in my workshop,

the T40 steel bars, the slack ring nut with the rope and the threaded bar to lift and lower the gearbox worked pretty well.

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