<VV> Shifting (shifty?) saga -- includes a request for info

[Kent Sullivan]

Hi,

I am happy to report that the rear cross member removal went very well,
thanks to help from my friend Zoltan Szilagyi. We started with a
fully-assembled car after dinner this evening and had the cross member out
2.5 hours later.

Ed--you were right about not having to drop the transmission in order to get
the cross member out. It would almost come out on either side but did not
quite clear on the driver's side. If we had removed the passenger side
transmission mount, it would have cleared. There was enough room on the
passenger side so we reversed course and took it out that way.

The "secret sauce" was a really awesome compact bottle jack obtained from
Griot's Garage on sale. I just checked their site in order to provide a link
to it but I can't find it. Maybe it was on close-out? If so, bummer. That
bottle jack has two features that were really handy for this job in
particular:

1) Very low saddle height: 6 1/2" minimum.

2) Nice jack stand-type top to the saddle for more sure-footed support

Here are a couple of photos:

<http://www.corvairkid.com/articles/images/Rear Crossmember Removal 1.jpg>

<http://www.corvairkid.com/articles/images/Rear Crossmember Removal 2.jpg>

Note the jack stand right behind the jack as a safety measure. The jack is
sitting on a jacking tray that spans from one rail to the other of the lift.
The tray slides fore and aft so it's easy to position just where you want
it.

The mounts were so worn out that we actually used the jack to raise the
transmission a little, back to horizontal.

As you can sort-of see in the photos, we had to remove the e-brake brackets
but not the cables themselves. We also removed the clevis pin from the shift
coupler but that was more for insurance since we thought the transmission
might settle a little. We also did not have to remove the shifter
cross-shaft, the lower control arms, or the axle half-shafts.

Of course, we removed both control rods and the shift stabilizer rod. I am
going to install repro rods with new bushings and put new bushings in the
shift stabilizer rod. Should be good as new when we're done!

I'm trading the cross member to Duane Wentlandt, who painted one that Duanne
Luckow had on hand. Man, those things always seem rusty. Did they get any
paint at all in the factory? Duanne is going to press out the bushings and
send them back to Clark's for a core refund. (The mounts do not have a core
fee, just the bushings where the cross member bolts to the body on each
end.)

--Kent
-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Ed Dowds
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 5:48 PM
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: RE: <VV> Shifting (shifty?) saga -- includes a request for info

Kent-

I think this job may be easier than you think:

1> Get the car up and stable on jack stands.

2> Put a jack or some other stable device under the trans.

3> Disconnect the shift coupler, clutch cable, clutch rod and clutch 
3> linkage cross shaft from body.

4> Remove crossmember from both trans AND body mounts.

5> Remove body mounts. This may require a "special" wrench (according to
5> Clark's).

Note that the trans doesn't have to be lowered enough to cause a problem for

the perimeter seal, battery cable or gas line. If the Corsa is a '65 you 
have to catch the shim behind one of the crossmember bolts. On a '66 there 
should be no shim. I agree with Rick about the backup switch wiring: it only

takes a second to disconnect it! (or to break something if you don't!).

       Ed