McVette

I have a 79 L82 with a Turbo350 trans that I am going to pull out.... is there any special care or precautions I should be taking with this removal?
I am aware of supporting the motor and such but any thing special other than that?

lvmyvt76

fluid leaking out the tail shaft end.

BEJ

Get the car as far off of the ground as you can. Trans height plus any jack you use can make it difficult to get the unit out from under the car unless you have lots of room to work with. Also, getting to the bolts connecting the unit to the block, located at the top of the unit, are much easier to access with a couple of long (24"ish) extensions.

CaseyJones

It's heavy and awkward. Nice but not absolutely necessary to have extra hands. Watch for the coolant lines, vacuum line, and electrical connection on the passenger side as well as the linkage and speedometer cable on the driver side. As stated before, the tailshaft will leak badly so a spare yoke to put in while removing the tranny will minimize the mess. Also, once you unbolt the torque converter from the flex plate and pull the transmission away from the engine, use a piece of wire from side to side between opposite bellhousing bolt holes to keep the converter in place until you have the unit out. There is a lot of fluid in there, too.

McVette

Thanks for all the input.....yes I am aware of fluid leaking out....sounds like it is not too bad of a job as long as I can get car high enough....thinking about making some 2x12 platforms to place under the tires so it will be high enough

MrJlr

I've wanted to make a set of those for a long time now!

TimAT

Remove the distributor cap so when the engine tilts down at the rear it won't hit or break the cap. Take a look at the oil pressure sender too. I've heard of a couple of them that have gotten really close.

drwet

About 28" of clearance under the car is enough. You don't need a spare slip yoke. Just unbolt the driveshaft and remove it without removing the slip yoke from the transmission. You won't lose any fluid. The cooler lines are hard to get at, and they will leak some fluid when you disconnect them. I didn't need to remove the distributor, but be careful how much you lower the back of the engine. You will also need to unbolt the top of the rad shroud so it doesn't bind against the fan blade when you lower the back of the engine. That's pretty much the only way to access the upper bellhousing bolts, at least with man hands.

91turbo2

28" seems like a lot (that's what she said ) but seriously I can't imagine installing a transmission in anything other than a shop with a lift if you need 28" of clearance. I'm about to reinstall my th350 and was hoping to do the job in my garage.

donnie1956

Swapped my 350 to a 2004 R with jackstands, extra pair of hands and a couple of floor jacks. Raise and place jack stands safely, so you can get under on your creeper. Place a floor jack under the oil pan and remove fasteners. Once you have everything removed thats needed lower the jack under the tranny then slide it off on piece of cardboard or plywood, then you won't have to have the body raised that high. Little more of a challenge reinstalling ,but I have used this method a couple of times.

BKbroiler

I've done this job a number of times, by myself, with the car on jackstands - much less than 28 inches high. One additional tip I can offer, when you lower the trans with a floor jack, take the converter off as soon as you can while the trans is still under the car. Big weight reduction there. Then, as mentioned previously, slide the trans off the jack and onto a piece of cardboard. Pull the cardboard out with the trans on it. Lift up the back of the trans to lower the bellhousing top point as you slide under the frame. That makes the trans several inches lower and therefore less jackstand height required.

McVette

thanks for all the input guys......

Roco71

Its not nearly as hard as it looks to me the hardest part is getting to the six bolts on the bell housing.