Progress!

"Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig" (AndySheehan-StreetsideStig) 10/16/2015 at 09:45 • Filed to: None

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I got a ton of crap done !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Well, a ton of crap started. I pulled the shocks, CV axles, tie rod ends, and sway bar end links, one of which was just broken. Here’s a fun happenstance: The backing plate on my left outer brake pad had come loose and carved a perfect, hat-band groove all the way around the outer brake disc body. I had to check the other side just to make sure the groove wasn’t stock. It was so perfectly machined by that stupid backing plate.

I’d been hearing the sound for a while, but I’d thought it was wheel bearings. The wheel bearings turned out to be fine, without friction or play, so I’ll be saving my new bearings for a later date.

The other parts had not fared so well. The shocks were completely gone. Bushings were pancaked. Both boots at both ends of both CV axles were torn in multiple places. The tie rod ends and ball joints crackled like a merry fire.

Next I started the transmission removal for the clutch change. Out came the battery, intake, and starter. I drained the gear oil, which, according to the manual, is just 10w-40. Go figure. I disconnected the speedometer cable and shift torque arm. And then I met my first true nemesis of the project.

The shift rod linkage is attached to the transmission with a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , like the kind you’ll see on many CV axles. No problem, right? Just grab a punch and hammer it out. Except this one had been hammered in from the bottom and was tapered going up. I couldn’t hit it from below. I tried. Nor could I just spin it around like I had with CV axles. Here are other things I tried.

-Driving a screwdriver bit into it and pulling
-Driving a screw into it and pulling
-Forcing it down from above with a pry bar
-Forcing it down from above with a screwdriver bit, a socket, and a C-clamp
-Putting a punch through it and hammering from above the engine with a long pry-bar (this broke the punch)
-Pressing it from above with vise-grips and a washer
-Driving in a broken bolt remover

Nothing worked. It’s still in there. If you have an air hammer, you can get a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for this pin. I do not have an air hammer. Internet to the rescue, though, because !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! recommends just pulling the whole shift rod assembly down with the transmission, and I think it’s a fine idea. I’ll be able to sledge it through from the top if I have to. I hadn’t planned on installing them yet, but I have some new shifter bushings I can pit in while I’m at it.

Just a nice evening in the garage, working at an easy pace and listening to some music. I’ll be at it again tonight and all day Saturday. Time well spent.

If you’re in KC and you want to drop by, let me know and I’ll get you the address.