While You Are in There...?

pishta said
You can replace the rear main without dropping trans. Remove pan and rear main cap. If it's a rope seal, use a "Sneaky Pete" and thread it into rope seal and pull out while turning crank. If it's a hard seal, you can use a drift and carefully tap one side into block while the other side pokes out. Grab and pull while tapping other side. Rope seal can be pulled in with 'ol Pete. If your life depended on it, it can be done on your back with trans in car. All oil will drip to lowest point. Mark base and pull distributor out, it doesnt turn when removed like a Chevy. Replace gasket and drop back in. Line up marks and tighten. Simple.

yep, i've done rear seals in situ on various v8's. i usually loosen all the main caps as the little bit of extra 'slack' where the crank lowers very slightly makes swapping out the seal easier. it's no problem to loosen and retorque all the mains so if it makes it easier.....
also it could be worth undoing an end cap or 2 to check the bearings. on the ends it's the bearing in the rod that'll show the most wear and the mains it's the bearing in the cap. as with the rear seal you can swap out bearings in situ.
neil.