How the F do you get to the bell housing bolts?!

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standup303

standup303

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Trying to pull the TCI 727 off my 360 LA in a 69 Dart. Cannot get the top 4 bell housing bolts. About $75 in long wrenches and still won’t go. One of the bolts will not take a 9/16” either a 14mm fits better, weird. Any tips or tricks? I have no clue how I’m going to get these back in IF I ever get them out.
 
A couple extensions and a wobble worked fine for mine. Drop the crossmember first so you can lower the trans a little to get a better angle on them.
 
72Duster440 said:
A couple extensions and a wobble worked fine for mine. Drop the crossmember first so you can lower the trans a little to get a better angle on them.
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Yes, And once you lower the rear of the transmission go around to the rear portion of the trans and you should be able to see the top bolts. Also be careful with the distributor.
The way I did it is I sat behind the transmission (after I jacked the car high enough and used non-Harbor Freight jackstands) used several of extensions.
No issues, but then again mine is a 360 with an A999 (A904 with super soldier serum) so it will likely be a little easier than the 727.
 
Recently pulled a small block 4 speed bellhousing out of an early A in the junkyard. I tried about 7 different 9/16ths wrenches on the bolt closest to the distributor. (some brand name and some chihesium crap I had modified for other difficult bolts) and sockets and even some 14mm and none worked. I was getting ready to drop the whole k member and work on the bolt on the ground until my dad told me to try his 9/16ths from his snap on roll up kit the next day. I decided to listen to him while also taking my tools to tear apart the car... The snap on wrench worked like butter.
Ask around to your friends for their wrenches, and maybe shoot some penetrating fluid on them to sit overnight.
Good luck!
 
I have several long 3/8" and 1/2" drive extensions. I'm talking 36" and more. Get the floor jack under the transmission pan. Remove the bolt(s) holding the mount to the cross member and jack the transmission off the cross member. Remove the cross member. Since it's a small block, you'll want to remove the distributor cap. Now lower the transmission down some after removing the cross member and you can get right to the top bellhousing bolts.
 
you get to them with lots of cussing, screaming, head banging, and being pissed off…

Also by what previous posters said.
 
DentalDart said:
you get to them with lots of cussing, screaming, head banging, and being pissed off…

Also by what previous posters said.
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Oh horse ****. I can have the transmission outta that car in around 30 minutes with hand tools and I'm old and wore out.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Oh horse ****. I can have the transmission outta that car in around 30 minutes with hand tools and I'm old and wore out.
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It takes me a little longer than that, and I only use hand tools as well. But… I usually start cussing and getting pissed off because some of the top bolts are a pain in the *** to get to.

But… I’m younger and just a pretty face :rofl:
 
Yeah you should be able to get the top bell housing bolts from the top, jam your arm in between the engine and the firewall kind of deal.

The box end of a plain old wrench works, and those newer wrenches with the ratcheting box end make it a lot nicer. I have a set of combo wrenches that are extra long, helps with the leverage vs the standard wrenches. Break them loose with the long wrenches and then switch to the ratcheting box end wrench.

If you find yourself thinking a job is really hard, you probably have the wrong tools...
 
I sit on the inner fender and lean over the engine and get them out from the top. If the hood is removed, that helps but you should still fit in there even with the hood on. Just don't sit on the battery and don't sit on the washer jar because they always break. In fact I just remove the washer jar all the way before I get in there.

They are always the 9/16 wrench. As said before a 9/16 ratchet wrench helps
 
There's a guy in the Internet who would weld a piece of rebar into the bolt head then cut the floor out and use a sledge hammer the pound the bolts out.

I just wonder how many morons actually do what his dumb *** does.
 
Murray said:
Drop the rear of the trans and use a 3' extension w/ wobble socket
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Don't forget to loosen the engine mounts and remove the accelator / kick down linkage where it z bars to the body.

The FSM even says to do that while replacing the engine mounts.

Then support the engine or it will sit on the cross bar.
 
I'm pretty sure I used to at least crack/ loosen the top bolts from above, then on the hoist, with the crossmember out and the tail lowered and supported, reach up in there with "a great big bunch of extensions" and by the way I've been known to TAPE them together. Don't remember if I used wobble sockets or not.

Since I JUST FINALLY towed the 67 out of the dark dusty rear end of the carport today, "we are about to find out"

www.forabodiesonly.com

What in the ill is THIS???

I don't know either, but it finally made it from the rear of the dirty carport to the back yard this afternoon
www.forabodiesonly.com www.forabodiesonly.com

img_2117cs-jpg.jpg
 
the head of the bolt is often in a recess in the housing that leaves a socket engaged only by a fraction of an inch due to its outer diamater being too big for the well that the bolt head is in.
a ring spanner or open ended would be ideal if the angle of access wasn't restricted by the bulkhead/ tunnel end.
normal socket has its drive profile recessed.

i get a cheap thin wall socket and linish its face flat, rubbish from the centre isle of the supermarket, use its extension and socket drive adapter as well. then use a collection of "proper"extensions
stick a wooden block between pan and steering cross link
lower the back end down so the wooden block is clamped. but leave the jack under the back trans mount. go in with jack from the side.

Make sure you don't bust anything off the firewall with the end of the heads keep in mind the brake pipe that runs across as well.

undo from below, head towards rear of car hugging the trans . easier access if clutch linkage and z bar is out first

pull trans safe in the knowledge that the engine aint going anywhere cos its tilted slightly on its front mounts and resting on its wooden block. if you use straps or slings for engine removal make sure you put them in place in the right place before you block off access with the bit of wood. not a problem with lifting plate and chain

Dave
 
My '69 is tight too. But there's always a way. On mine, someone smashed the seam flat between the firewall and the floor in the tunnel area just to get another half inch wiggle room. You can always take out a motor mount and let the motor drop down to gain a little too, if jacking the trans with the trans mount loose isn't enough. I think I get all four top bolts with a wrench..... a box wrench, no open end would fit.
 
Maybe find a sacrificial wrench or two, torch the hell out of it and bend it to the curvature needed. I have my grandfathers tool chest and there are a bunch of wrenches he reworked for working on his cars/trucks through the decades, unfortunately none were Mopars. But I am able to use his custom bent long 1/2” wrench to get to the distributor hold down bolt on small blocks.

Edit: Haha, some douchebag disagrees with improvising!! Sure bet he has no improvisation skills, or ability to figure **** out. LOL.
 
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Or take along a real skinny illegal helper with thin kinda hands but remember he will demand $40 /hr. and a free lunch of double burgers and a case of Bud Lite?? :BangHead: :poke:
 
A lot of good advice here. Good QUALITY tools are ALWAYS a first must have for any job. A lot of new, store-bought tools are not sized accurately, hence not fitting on bolt/nuts tightly. Check yard sales, Flea markets & such for good used tools at good prices, Snap-On, Mac, Matco, old Craftsman etc. Look for ones that have been taken care of & say MADE IN U.S.A. Germany, Japan on them. Most tools made in China are JUNK! (Thats a fact) Good tools are not cheap, but worth every penny in the long run. I have a tool box full of 30 to 40 year old quality tools & I still use them a lot. Good luck.
 
After you lower the rear end of the transmission, put a Snap On 9/16 - 6 point universal socket on a long extension.
Snap On tool number FS18A.
Search that number on eBay.
 
I went with the QA1 K-member for this very reason. It moves the engine forward about 1.25" and makes removing the bellhousing bolts much easier.

Definitely tight when it's stock though. Especially with big hands.
 
Thanks all for the advice. I’m going to remove the distributor, pop the exhaust off, loosen engine mounts, drop the rear of the trans and hopefully that works. On a side note. Where can I get a 69 factory service manual?
 
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