MGW install kicking my @$$

[Driversound]

I'm going to get back to this tomorrow.

Why did you do that rather than unbolt the DS from the trans? On my GT, the DS to trans bolts are easy to get to but the support (if I understand what that is) is above the resonator and I don't see how you could unbolt it without dropping the exhaust first.

I have an aftermarket exhaust so the support was easily accessible.
Did you get this on yet? You might want to get a friend to help you if not. Either have them pull down or I read that someone had their wife stick their foot down the shifter hole and to push down on the trans.

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[HoosierDaddy]

Did you get this on yet? You might want to get a friend to help you if not. Either have them pull down or I read that someone had their wife stick their foot down the shifter hole and to push down on the trans.

Still not done. :(

My wife couldn't push it down far enough from inside the car; tried that before.

I unbolted the driveshaft. I guess I wrongly assumed the slip joint would let me pull the DS toward the rear of the car and drop it down. I can pull it back some but there is a lot of resistance and I don't see the slip joint move. So I stopped because the last thing I need now is to manage to drop the DS and not be able to get it back on.

Before unbolting the DS from the trans, I took a 2x4 and attached some blocks to stand it off from the frame rails to try to pull the trans down with a ratcheting tie down. But the 2x4 was still just barely far enough from the trans to rig it so it couldn't move it any more than I could with my arm.

The friend thing is out. They all say: call me 20 years ago OR car's have a bottom? OR you seriously want me to climb under your car and try to pull it down on myself? My friends who ever did this kind of thing stopped decades ago.

I'm no pro mechanic but have done lots of mods over the years, including an engine rebuild. I may be slow but with good documentation, I've gotten them all done. But this has gone off the rails (documentation). I'm obviously not so good at improvising.

Time to surrender. I guess I need to re-bolt the DS (need the torque specs), figure out how to get it into neutral with no shifter installed, and have it towed to a shop for one freeking bolt.

I'm open to suggestions for a trustworthy shop in the Phoenix area to put the bolt in and I suppose finish the install so I don't have to have it towed back home.

 

[CB]

That's not the way I suggested using the two by four but your way will work. Just put more distance between the wood and the tranny even if you have to jack the car up higher.

 

[Evo_Rob]

[MENTION=20679]HoosierDaddy[/MENTION], the drive shaft will pull all the way away from the tailshaft of the tranny. Even with the carrier barrier still bolted up. You don't have to worry about breaking it or not getting it back in. I promise you, itll work. I just did my clutch and it comes off pretty easy. Even if not, unbolt the two bolts that hold up the carrier bearing and let her come down.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

That's not the way I suggested using the two by four but your way will work. Just put more distance between the wood and the tranny even if you have to jack the car up higher.

I was worried the block might damage something since it wouldn't be on a frame rail.

I admit I'm a little spooked now since unbolting the DS sounded like a sure thing but didn't work.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

@HoosierDaddy , the drive shaft will pull all the way away from the tailshaft of the tranny. Even with the carrier barrier still bolted up. You don't have to worry about breaking it or not getting it back in. I promise you, itll work. I just did my clutch and it comes off pretty easy. Even if not, unbolt the two bolts that hold up the carrier bearing and let her come down.

Sounds good in theory and obviously works for some, but I don't want to force things with no understanding of why it just slips out in other cars.

After unbolting it, the plate the bolts go thru won't move back at all just from me pulling on it. I can put a pry bar between the part the bolts were removed from and the shock-absorbing (rubber like) piece it bolts to and they will separate a little but it feels like I'm just compressing some bushing somewhere. As I said, the slip joint doesn't slip at all while I'm doing this.

Maybe I could use the pry-bar to compress whatever it is enough to get the DS out of the trans but maybe not. I have no idea how much movement is needed. But if I do manage to force the DS back enough to pull it out of the trans, I could end up with a new problem similar to the one I already have, namely: can I force the DS back enough by myself to reinstall it?

But bottom line: I'm reluctant to force it anyway when it is SUPPOSED to just slip out with no forcing.

Probably useless but here is a pic of the DS where it was unbolted.

As I said, that slip joint does not move at all if I force the parts the bolts go thru apart.

 

[Evo_Rob]

Sounds good in theory and obviously works for some, but I don't want to force things with no understanding of why it just slips out in other cars.

After unbolting it, the plate the bolts go thru won't move back at all just from me pulling on it. I can put a pry bar between the part the bolts were removed from and the shock-absorbing (rubber like) piece it bolts to and they will separate a little but it feels like I'm just compressing some bushing somewhere. As I said, the slip joint doesn't slip at all while I'm doing this.

Maybe I could use the pry-bar to compress whatever it is enough to get the DS out of the trans but maybe not. I have no idea how much movement is needed. But if I do manage to force the DS back enough to pull it out of the trans, I could end up with a new problem similar to the one I already have, namely: can I force the DS back enough by myself to reinstall it?

But bottom line: I'm reluctant to force it anyway when it is SUPPOSED to just slip out with no forcing.

Probably useless but here is a pic of the DS where it was unbolted.

As I said, that slip joint does not move at all if I force the parts the bolts go thru apart.

Drop the carrier, then. It'll bend more than enough to come out and yes, you'll be able to put it back up yourself. It sucks that you had to take off so much to get this thing installed.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Can you elevate the car higher ?

I might have another notch on the jack stands but they are good sized 6 ton stands. The side splitters (or whatever they are called) are 19" off the ground. I have plenty of room for myself on the creeper. I don't think a few more inches would let me pull down much harder.

 

[Evo_Rob]

I might have another notch on the jack stands but they are good sized 6 ton stands. The side splitters (or whatever they are called) are 19" off the ground. I have plenty of room for myself on the creeper. I don't think a few more inches would let me pull down much harder.

If you had some really heavy shit, you can put a long piece of wood or metal across the car and put the heavy stuff on the ends and then use a racheting strap to pull the trans down.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Drop the carrier, then. It'll bend more than enough to come out and yes, you'll be able to put it back up yourself. It sucks that you had to take off so much to get this thing installed.

Thanks a bunch Rob (and others).

I can't get to the carrier behind the resonator. I would have to remove the exhaust to do that.

I'm at the point I'm feeling a little snake bit. I couldn't get the bolt in by myself on the stands. Ran out of my own ideas that didn't work anyway. Then I unbolted the DS because that should be a slam dunk, but the DS won't come off even with the bolts out. Can't wait to see what goes wrong with removing the exhaust. LoL.

Maybe its karma. It was probably a mistake being a serial killer in a prior life.

 

[Evo_Rob]

Thanks a bunch Rob (and others).

I can't get to the carrier behind the resonator. I would have to remove the exhaust to do that.

I'm at the point I'm feeling a little snake bit. I couldn't get the bolt in by myself on the stands. Ran out of my own ideas that didn't work anyway. Then I unbolted the DS because that should be a slam dunk, but the DS won't come off even with the bolts out. Can't wait to see what goes wrong with removing the exhaust. LoL.

Maybe its karma. It was probably a mistake being a serial killer in a prior life.

Ah, I thought you had the exhaust already pulled. I totally understand the defeated feeling. I had a couple of those moments this week after my clutch install. I'm sure if you have a local S550 FB page, you can get some help with it. S550 Society and S550 Mustang are two of the pages that I'm on and there's people all over on them

 

[Super Werty]

If you drive down to Tucson I'll do the install for you.

 

[CB]

If that driveshaft splined slip joint ain't slipping then you need to take it down and get some grease in it anyways.

 

[Optimum Performance]

Hate to be late to the party but if you unbolt the resonator/h/x pipe from the front of the car you can drop the transmission down a lot. It will give you miles of room. You only really need to have the rear of the car in the air.

 

[T-S550-X]

[MENTION=20679]HoosierDaddy[/MENTION], can you try pulling down on the tranny without the creeper under you? You might get dirty, but that might be why you can't get enough distance when pulling down.

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