• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Manual trans removal

2012ChargerBlacktop

FBBO Gold Member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
2:47 PM
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
107
Reaction score
28
Location
Manhasset, NY
The victim is a 73 Roadrunner..Is it standard practice to have to remove the torsion bars and torsion bar cross member in order to get the 4 speed in and out? I feel dumb asking this. This is my first older Mopar after many GM cars. GM cars only have one crossmember. Should I have just understood when the FSM said remove crossmember that both cross members were included in that statement? Thanks!
 
Trans mount is not in the way at all as I removed it completely. The input shaft needs another 1/4 inch to clear the bellhousing and there is no place that I can even spin the transmission to to get that room. I've spent quite a few hours working on this, tried every angle. I don't like the idea of picking the engine up and putting it down more than once or rocking it, as that puts a fair amount of stress on the mounts plus it's a royal p.i.t.a. getting the engine back in place. I really don't know, I've spent way too much time with this so the torsion bars and crossmember are coming out and then I can proceed.
 
You should be able to just lower the rear of the motor a bit and the tranny will comes right out. Taking the torsion bars out won't help at all.
 
No, removing the torsion bars in and of themselves won't help but removing the torsion bar crossmember will give me all kinds of room that I don't have right now.
 
disconnect your exhaust and drop your centerlink, put a chunk of wood under the oil pan. and lower the engine to get your clearance. It's only about a 1/2 inch or less. cutting out your torsion bar crossmember is just ridiculous, Unless you mean this

$_12.JPG

That definitely needs to come out

- - - Updated - - -

This is welded in BTW

$_12.JPG

- - - Updated - - -

Also helps to remove the shifter body bracket and lickages from the transmission.

And after getting those pesky countersunk screws out . replace them and cover with antiseize before reinstalling.
 
I have the exhaust unbolted and out of the way. I'm not sure what year car that the pictured torsion bar crossmember is out of, but I suspect it is an older car. In my 73, they changed the design so that the car had a softer ride. I do have that support in the car and it is permanently mounted as you describe but the torsion bars do not go through it. There is another support bar in place that is mounted with two bolts and rubber isolators that the torsion bars are mounted to.
So last night I had another good look at what is going on under there and I found that I had both the engine and the Trans jacked up way too high! I ran out of time last night to set up the crane and fix that issue. I think I am going to enlist a friend of mine to help with the crane operation even though I really wanted to do this by myself. My desire to get this car running and driving within the week supersedes that idea.
 
I had to remove the Trans with that shifter plate mounted because two of the screws were gorilla tightened in the past and stripped out on me. Good news though, I actually got an easy out to work and they threaded right out!
 
The OP is pretty clear what year car he is working with. ’73 was the first year for the isolated front suspension on the B-body, specifically having an isolated torsion bar cross member separate from the transmission mounting. All references here to the previous model years design would not apply, different animal altogether. Don’t recall having to pull the torsion bar cross member to service transmissions at the dealers back then however and wouldn’t make much sense for the factory to design it that way. Never know though, find a FSM for that year, should spell out the steps necessary to remove the transmission as it was designed.
 
I just pull the torsion bars out - its easier that way
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top