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72 Hour Rivergate Conversion Challenge

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Yea- it is difficult to get any real work done when your drinkin..

m
 
I hear ya !!! I don't drink at all anymore.

Just remeber, she's done when she's done. No need in hurryin'

us suthren boyahs steel gottalil' drivin' lef yet.
 
2:50PM Modifications are complete. Engine mounts have been loosely fitted back on, speedometer drive and cable put on, The whole assembly is ready for the return back home.
 
3:43PM Setback. I have no one to blame but myself, but I'm still ticked! I had the assembly over the car and was about to install the slave cylinder when I discovered yet another place that the transmission needs to be ground down to add clearance for the slave. I found the additional instructions that come with the slave and it does say it has to be ground down. It also states I might even have to grind down part of the adapter plate. We'll see, but for now I've gotta get the assembly back on the ground.
 
6:00PM Relief for slave cylinder has been ground down. I had a dickens of a time trying to get the engine hoist to give the right angle of approach, but the assembly is at least inside the car. It's getting hung up on the rear mount plate and the oil pan at the crossmember. I'm going to get the jack and see if I can't get under the transmission and route it in a little better.

What you've heard about the clearance between the heater shelf and the transmission going in is spot on. I'm pretty much riding the shelf.

Time to take a break.
 
if it gets to you, walk away and try tommorrow. You;ll be suprised when it just drops in. I don't know why, but I've seen it happen a million times. I USED to do this kinda stuff for a living. (notice past tense).
 
7:40PM I got the transmission to clear the heater shelf and I've got one engine mount on. The other respecting Murphy's law is being a bit cantankerous. I had to to some work with both the engine hoist and the floor jack to get it in. Now if I can just get the left engine mount to go on I'll believe I'm making progress.
 
Well Jim you have inspired me to start my 5 speed install since the weather has turned cold. I pulled my Midget in and started last night. got the eng. and tranny out today and started cleaning up. now to order the kit and geterdone. hey while the eng is out maybe I can do this and that an so on and on "HELP".
 
alsmith said:
Well Jim you have inspired me to start my 5 speed install since the weather has turned cold. I pulled my Midget in and started last night. got the eng. and tranny out today and started cleaning up. now to order the kit and geterdone. hey while the eng is out maybe I can do this and that an so on and on "HELP".
Click to expand...

As long as the "and so on" stuff can all be done in the time it takes to get the parts ordered and receive them... Go For It!!

:laugh:
 
10:30PM I had the engine installed, then came time to fit the rear mount. It is blasted impossible to fit that mount with the engine in place, even with the motor mounts loose! So I unbolted the motor mounts and pulled the engine forward. Even with a couple of extra inches bolting the mount up is a pain in the butt!

Now that I have the mount on, I can't get the engine/transmission assembly back in. I've tried jacking up the transmission a little to ease clearance over the crossmember, but she's not budging.

I think it's time to take a break and think this one through a bit more.
 
Go inside, Regroup and try again tommorrow !!!!

I'll go together faster. It ALWAYS does. You'll SAVE time.


Trust me bro !!!!
 
Midnight. Engine and transmission are finally bolted to the car! I wound up taking a Phillips head screwdriver and inserting it through the gear selector slot to hold it up just enough so it would clear the crossmember, but allow the top of the transmission to clear the heater shelf.

I'm exhausted. Closing down the garage and heading for the shower.
 
Sunday 12:45 PM. Rear mount is bolted in. Engine mounts are bolted in snug. There's a nut and bolt for each side of the transmission tunnel where the originals went. It's a very tight fit, and in no way can a hand (unless your 5 years old) get down in there. The nut by the way is another nylock. Some have suggested putting tape on a wrench or packing a socket with grease. Too messy. I've got a good magnet tool with extension and placed the front of the nut on the magnet. Then I ran the bolt through, got it threaded and finished up the job with the wrench and socket.

I have two grounding straps for the starer. The original from the bottom of the car and a top side one mounted to the firewall. Top side strap went around the new starter bolt fine, but the bottom had to have some filing to the hole to make it work.

Top side the main electrical wire to the starer is installed. The oil pressure line has been reconnected as well as the temp gauge sensor. Alternator connection had been reconnected.
 
Oh, it's getting close now...

:wink:
 
4:50PM Acquired motor oil, gear oil, filter, etc. Oil filter changed out, transmission filled, exhaust and intake manifold bolted back on. Drive shaft inserted in back of transmission, ready to be bolted to differential.
 
9:10PM. I've got to call it quits for the evening, which means the time trial is over. I'll still post my progress as I make it. I'm close, but couldn't quite make it to crank the car.

Drive shaft is bolted in, carburetor, choke and throttle cables reattached. Heater back in. Made new hoses to go between the heater and the intake. Rest of hoses have been installed and the radiator is in. The radiator gave me a time wasting adventure. The last captive nut cross threaded. I spent probably two hours trying to get it freed and another nut and bolt put in. While under the car I discovered the muffler had separated from the long exhaust pipe. I'll have to take it off and find some way to flare it which means it has to come off the car. With temperatures dropping it's not going to happen tonight.

So the question is can this conversion be performed in 72 hours? I think it is possible. Unfortunately I didn't have all that I needed and spent a lot of time on things like modifying the transmission and getting the rear mount in after the engine/transmission was in the car. The other thing to consider is all the complications of pulling and refitting the original engine/transmission apply.

While you don't modify the bodywork of the car, you certainly make up for it in mods to the transmission. 6 places to grind down for clearance, the hole sawed out for the starter clearance, and the original bolt holes drilled out to accept the new bolts. The suggestion to use a Dremel 115 bit made a huge difference. If you're going to perform your own modifications be warned, the aluminum shavings make a terrible mess.

While the instructions supplied suggest trying to fit the bottom half of the rear mount with the engine/transmission in the car, I wouldn't attempt it again. That wasted a lot of time since I had to pull the engine back out and fit the mount. If I had it to do over again I'd put the assembly mostly in, bolt the rear mount in and wiggle it in.
 
I can tell you that it is definitely doable in under 72 hours because mine only took 48. 12 one day, 12 the next for a total of 24 hours labor over 48. But then I have lots of experience with the removal and refitting of these engine/tranny combos, plus a well equiped shop. That always helps! :wink:

JACK
 
I started my conversion early one Saturday morning and finished before noon on Sunday ( and still got 8 hrs sleep). I was working a well equiped shop and already had practice pulling and replacing the engine.
 
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