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Sopp,

There are some pluses and minuses for doing it either way. By installing them separately, you have smaller individual loads to hoist and tilt. But then you are faced with the task of mating the gearbox to the engine in the car where working space is much more limited. Just installing and torquing the bolts that hold the bell housing to the motor are going to be much more difficult to do in the car unless perhaps you have a lift at your disposal.

Many people have pulled the gearbox out through the interior space (basically removing a seat and man-handling the box out through the doors) and replacing it the same way (especially if they are just working on the tranny).

Cheers,
John
 
Lin said:
finished by Sunday, so I should be in a position to take the car "around the block" sans body.
Any tips on installing the arm rest into the carpet?
Click to expand...

Hi Lin,

Sounds like you are making great progress! Looking forward to seeing pictures. I'm not sure what the stitching is suppose to look like for installing the arm rest to the carpet. Let me know if you find out how it should be done and I will do the same for you.

Cheers,
John
 
John: Getting back to the roller rockers you installed, besides the smoothness and higher revs you mentioned, have you seen a measurable increase in power/torque? It sounds like you feel it was worth the money. Is the tappet adjustment process the same as with the stock set up? A rebuild is planned for my car and I'm slowly amassing the parts now. Thanks, and congrats on a job well done.

Lin: The Concours Registry Guide says that center armrests for your car (BJ7, right?) were sewn directly to the carpet over the transmission tunnel. No reference made to an exact type of stitching. I recently had it done for my car (BT7) by an auto upholstery shop. I just lightly traced where I wanted it with some chalk and had them sew it in. Inexpensive and well done.

-Tom Pierce
 
I'm in the "all at once" camp.

The exception being if only the transmission requires servicing, then I'd only pluck it out.
 
Thank you for the responses.
When the engine and trans go back in there will be no interior or dash to get in the way. I do remember when I put the engine and trans together that it was not an easy project. I guess doing it in the car would be that much worse. I will be able to hang the trans and drop it down into the chassis quite easily. Working under the car will also be quite easy.

Some of the things I've read make it sound like "together" is absolutely, possitively the only way that it can be done. I didn't think that could be true.

Thanks again,
Sopp
 
I guess difficult is a relative term on this one. My garage had neither the height nor area in front of the car to put the engine/trans in as one unit. They can go in separately, and it can be done with just one person. Would I want to do it again this way? Not really.
 
62BT7 said:
John: Getting back to the roller rockers you installed, besides the smoothness and higher revs you mentioned, have you seen a measurable increase in power/torque? It sounds like you feel it was worth the money. Is the tappet adjustment process the same as with the stock set up?
Click to expand...

Hi Tom, On my stock motor adding roller rockers gave the perception that a slightly more aggressive cam profile had been added. Measureable increase in HP/torque? Not really. I'd say a few % but my 'seat of the pants' is not as accurate as a dyno. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

When researching roller rockers I remember reading the stock rocker arms were designed as a 1.5 ratio (travel at the valve 1.5 times the travel at the cam) but in real life they only measure 1.4 or so. So, the 1.5 RR's give about 7% more lift which increases the valve opening. They also make RR's with 1.55 and 1.60 ratios but I believe these require pockets machined for valve clearance. Greg can tell you more about those. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

And yes, the tappet adjustment is the same.

Cheers,
John
 
Fantastic....
I am John's neighbor. A few years ago he gave me a ride in his AH.

So I got the bug (again), and purchased a car from the "other side", a TR6.

John, I am looking forward to driving down Coast Hiway with you.

Do you think you will be on the road by Dec. 08, 2007?

We have set Sat. Dec. 08 as British Car Day at Cars and Coffee. Your car would be the star!!

From "down the street and around the corner"
Richard
1974 TR6
 
Hi Richard,

And what a purdy TR6 it is too!

The Healey 'might' be roadworthy by the 8th but I'm supposed to be somewhere else that morning. Plans may change so I'll keep it in mind.

Also looking forward to blasting down PCH with you!

Cheers,
John
 
Very nice John

Mating gear box to engine outside the car should have been relatively easy, it is a matter of having a 'plank / bench' of wood to site engine and gear box on so that they are at the right levels for sliding together. There was a good article in Revcounter, our magazine over here, some years ago when some one described how they built a bell housing up to mate a ford 4 speed gear box to a 100/4 engine and they used the plank . bench system but in a slightly different way of course.

Never the less you have done it now and it looks the dogs, well done.

Bob
 
Hi Bob,

I took the easy way out. Hung the motor from the hoist and used the tilt mechanism with a bubble level to adjust the motor level with the floor. Then leveled the gearbox with a transmission jack (thanks again Greg!). Took a couple tries while turning the flange at the rear to get the splines to line up and then was home free. Wouldn't want to do this job in-situ although I know it can be done. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif

aligning.jpg
 
Well John, thats one way to do it. However. for the bulk of the listers I want to dispell the complex task of mating the Tranny up with the engine in the car. IMOP, it is much easier to do as nothing moves but the tranny under your command. I will admit that you must be capable of lifting a complete tranny to accomplish this task. Mating up is contingent on your prparation work. I use a spare Pilot shaft to insure the spigot bearing and the clutch disk are aligned spot on. Further, in support of this method ,you certainly are not going to pull the engine tranny just to replace a clutch or its supporting items. So get use to it, after the first time its a piece of cake.--Fwiw---Keoke- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cowboy.gif
 
I completely agree. Also when installing the pressure plate/disk on the flywheel, make absolutely sure that the pilot shaft has perfectly centered the disk hub. A visual check will tell.
D
 
In the words of Yogi Berra,,, Deja Vu all over again...

This is 'xactly how I did it with mine... Took a couple of tries. I centered the plate, torked the Pressure plate down and slowly mated the units... misaligned it, repeated step 1 thru 3, misaligned, repeated step 1 thru 3... SUCCESS!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banana.gif
 
John,

Hold the phone!!

Do I see roller rockers there??? I want some.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
ronzet said:
Took a couple of tries. I centered the plate, torked the Pressure plate down and slowly mated the units... misaligned it, repeated step 1 thru 3, misaligned, repeated step 1 thru 3... SUCCESS!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banana.gif
Click to expand...
Moss sells a clutch alignment tool to make things a little easier. For $4.95 (excluding shipping) I think it is a good investment. Clutch Alignment Tool
 
Hi Greg, I have never had real good luck with those plastic alignment tools. They are too short and do not give you the leverage that the pilot shaft provides when centering the clutch disk. May be a tad bit better than nothing though.---Keoke- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
That's why I said to do a final visual check. The plastic thing can leave it far enough out of alignment to easily see. The clutch disk hub & the pilot bearing must be near perfectly aligned for things to go together.
D
 
FWIW .. I used said plastic alignment tool. Since the spigot bearing was new the tolerances were very tight. I tested the alignment after the Pressure plate was installed by removing/inserting the plastic tool several times. If it slides right in with no hangups then it is aligned well enough for the pilot shaft to slide in. As usual, we have ground this subject into a fine powder. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
ronzet said:
Do I see roller rockers there??? I want some.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
Click to expand...

Hi Ron,

The RR's were discussed in more detail in the earlier parts of the thread.

Cheers,
John
 
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