T56 Clutch Install Notes
by Matt T
mattytee@aol.com
(RocCityZman on www.camaroz28.com)
Matt posted this in the LT1 Tech section at www.camaroz28.com and because the message board is very popular, posts only stay on the message board for a few months. Because of this, I asked Matt if he'd like me to put his experiences up for all to see on a web page! Well, here you go! Thanks, Matt!
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In the spirit of cz28.com and for all of the information I have taken off this site off the past two years I thought I would contribute my own experiences installing a clutch in my 94 Z28. The project lasted 2 1/2 days and I pretty much did it on my own. I did need some help putting the tranny back up, and I probably should have got some help taking it down, but oh well.The reason I am writing all this is to help some people who may be considering doing this job themselves sometime in the future. I am certainly no mechanic, and my tool access is limited, but I really thinkn anyone with the time and space resources should give it a try. I am always trying to learn something new about my car, and I cant really afford to take it into the shop every time I need something so this is a job born out of necessity. This is also the biggest home-reapair job I have ever attempted. Certainly not a big project for some of you gearheads out there, but for me it was pretty major. So I guess the bottom line is this is quite manageable for someone with a little basic automotive know how.
Just to be clear this is not a step-by-step list of how to do the job, but rather a supplement to what is already out there. Also, I am not a professional mechanic. I am not ASE certified. I am just a guy with a car that wants to give something back to the cz28.com community! Now that I have those disclaimers out of the way we can get started!
Below are some really good links to some on-line documents to help you step-by-step. This is meerly a document of my own notes and thoughts in addition to the documents cited below.
The main documents I used were as follows:
*Brians clutch install. Pubilshed on www.installuniversity.com.
Probably the best clutch install page I found. Thanks FIREBALL wherever you are! Great
pics, great notes, and a list of required tools! I know this is done on a LS1 SS, but the
application is pretty much the same.
*David
Wilsons Clutch Install Notes David installed a clutch on a 96Z. No pics,
but a good write up.
*This page on WS6.com. I
found the link in Brents fix it pages. Not too much written instruction, but nice
pics. Shows a SLP Clutch/PP install
*My Haynes manual. Chock full of torque specs!
Here are a few more things you may need in addition to whats on Fireballs
page:
*4-5 quarts of transmission fluid. The debate rages on as to what
kind is the best (do a search and you will see). Redline, Honda, and Mobil 1 seem to be
some of the top choices. Really any Dex III will do if you cant get you hands on
those. I used regular Mobil Dex III and its quite smooth, no problems at all.
*A jack and at least 6 jack-stands. You will need 4 just to get the car up, then 1 to
support the engine while you have the transmission out, and one to support the rear end. I
had an extra scissors jack and my spare tire jack that worked out fine. I used a block of
wood under the oil pan to support the engine. There is a lip on the spare tire jack that
fits really nice under the rear end. I didnt pump them up too high, just enough to
support them.
*A transmission carriage for your jack. Man I really wish I had one of these! I pulled the
tranny out onto my legs and that thing was HEAVY! Also, I needed a buddy of mine to help
me put it back up. I didnt have a special tranny holder, so we used the extra hands
to help balance the tranny on just the jack, this worked just fine.
*Some blocks of wood of various sizes. 4 x 4s, 2x4s, etc. These were very
helpful in supporting the engine under the jack and holding the flywheel if you dont
have a flywheel holder. You will definitely need something to hold the flywheel to get the
correct amount of torque on the flywheel bolts.
*Do yourself a favor and get a new rear main seal. It takes all of about 10 minutes to
replace it and can save you some major heartbreak down the road. I ordered a Fel-Pro
Teflon seal ahead of time from Autozone for $16.99. When I got the seal I went to the
hardware store and for a piece of 4 PVC pipe (regular white) to use as my install
tool. All you have to do to get the old seal out is take a flat head screwdriver and use
your rubber mallet to pound it in one of the removal slots (there are three, any one will
do). Follow your seal manufacturer instructions for installation. I say that because the
Teflon seal I bought needed to be installed dry, while others may need a thin coating of
oil to be installed. It just so happened that my seal was leaking out of the bottom. The
consequences of not doing this simple preventative maintenance are a ruined clutch when
oil spits out the back of the crank onto your new clutch components. Not fun.
During the project I noticed a few things that were not noted in any of the install pages that I thought I would add. These are not in any order except that which I remember them in:
*Re-attaching the clutch fork to the transmission and throw-out
bearing is a major PITA unless you follow this simple procedure. What makes it so tough is
the fact that you have to tighten the nut down on the fork while trying to slide the fork
end around the TO bearing. If you pull the trans our far enough to get your hands in there
the fork ends up too far from the TO bearing. If you get close enough for the fork to
engage the TO bearing you cant get your hand up between the bell-housing and the
trans to tighten down the nut. What the engineers at Borg-Warner designed was actually
pretty clever (unlike those GM engineers!!!). There is a block that the bolt screws into
on the back of the fork. On the other side of the fork is another block. There are also
two spring-type guides that the block slides under. What you need to do is tighten the nut
and block down, but slide the fork away from the TO bearing so that you can re-attach the
trans. Once the transmission is reattached you just push the fork up around the TO
bearing. The nut is already tightened and the fork wont go anywhere! Genius!! If
that wasnt clear dont worry, youll figure it out when you see it.
*On attaching the transmission: My friend and I tried for an hour to get that thing to
line up and it seemed like it was just a few mm off. Finally we decided to just try one
bolt at a time. We would try one of the 4 bottom boltholes with one bolt each, just trying
to start a thread. Once you have one, the rest will come. There doesnt seem to be
any special order, just keep trying. Once you get all 4 in you can tighten them down. Just
keep your eyes on the two alignment pins on the trans. They should line up with holes on
the bellhousing (I might have that backwards, the pins might be on the bellhousing). In
either case make sure they are lining up. As long as they do you will slowly see the trans
line up perfectly. Then you can put the two top bolts back in with the mega-extension youll
need to create.
*On removing/installing the two top transmission to bellhousing bolts: I found a couple
techniques for this. One being the use of an extra long extension (like a three footer),
the other using multiple extensions. I preferred the multiple extension technique as it
allowed for some flex. What I mean by that is because of the way the
extensions connected, the long mega-extension actually curved and allowed what I think
would be more clearance than with a single extension.
*On removing the bellhousing to block bolt in the 10 oclock position. You will need
to jam a piece of 2x4 between the bellhousing and undercarriage. The bellhousing is just
too close to the undercarriage to allow a socket to get lined up correctly. I just used a
rubber mallet and a small piece of wood. The undercarriage flexed just enough to allow me
to get my socket and swivel extension in there for a minute. When the bolt is out just
pull the wood out and youre good to go. Youll need to repeat the process to
get the bellhousing re-attached.
*Re-attaching the torque-arm to the transmission: There are several pieces of bushing,
nuts and bolts that hold the transmission, torque arm, and catalytic converter together. I
highly advise making a mental note or taking a picture of what this looks like before you
take it apart. Also, there is one piece of the torque arm bushing with a long bolt on it.
I recommend attaching that to the tail-shaft before putting the transmission back in
place. If you dont youll be fighting with the torque arm trying to get it in.
I ended up un-bolting the torque arm cross-member and pulling down on the torque arm until
I had the bushing bolted in. I think I bent my pan-hard rod in the process. Crap. Oh well,
now I have an excuse to buy an aftermarket one!!!!
*Be sure to mark the u-joint when youre taking the driveshaft off. Youll want
to put the driveshaft on in the same direction you took it off. I didnt and in the
process found out my rear u-joint was shot. I figured that out when one of the caps fell
off and I had to spend 10 minutes picking needle bearings off the garage floor. Then
re-pack the bearing only to find out the vibration is maddening. Well, I ended up with a
new u-joint and I think my DS is out of balance. Which is weird cause it never
caused me any problems before. Oh well, guess Ill have to get a 1LE!!!
*The SLP and stock GM clutch have the same part number. The 1LE and stock transmission
mount have the same part number. I know because I ordered the PP & TO bearing from
gmpartsdirect.com and the 1LE trans mount and clutch disc from SLP. I thought it was
weird, but the SLP price on both was great so no complaints here. Just be advised that I
think the SLP advantage is in the flywheel and PP, not the clutch disc.
Thats all I can think of for now. I hope this helps someone out. Ive taken a lot of information off this board in the last two years and this is my way of giving a little back. Please feel free to add to this if you can think of some tips I may have missed.
Matt T
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