BillZ260

Well...I can live with that, but probably not replicate. Mechanically I'm fair, cosmetics, well, I struggle! Maybe I'll play with some plate, nothing to loose

I'm waiting to hear from the vendor on Ebay, i'll let you all know when I get a responce. EDIT, got a responce, that was quick! I'll post pics and stuff when it comes in. "We recommend 3M General Trim Adhesive #08088. We'll get a sample right out."

That's a really good point. It's completely possible that I simply over stretched it durring instalation. I've asked Kevin if he can supply dim's on a new ring, and we'll see what Smalley says as well.

That, plus the double sticky sided stuff at lows maybe the ticket, still under 100 bucks for the entire car. You can get a sample! I'm going to check it out!

Thanks for the kind words Evan, I didn't like transmissions before I hosed my self on a V6 T5 and figured what the heck! Pulled it apart and followed the manual, it's easy cheasy! Terry, I just double checked, there is maybe one spline that has the slightest edge taken off the very corner, it's MAYBE .005 taken off. The ramp you are looking at there is the bit of Trans Fluid in tension across the two surfaces Thanks for freaking me out. I'm glad I took time to document this, hope it helps someone else in the future. Still more to come, waiting to hear from Smally and Kevin. Does anyone think they can calculate the amount of load/pressure that little snap ring is seeing. Smalley had that on their request for quote.

Wow, such great responces so quickly!! Terry, yours are exactly what I was thinking. I know I've seen those pictures before, but it's has to have been several years. Where did you buy those? Please tell me you didn't make them!

Anyone done this or seen it done on a S30? I've searched for some stainless flanges to surround the current bumper holes but can't seem to find anything. I'm guessing I am using the wrong search terms. Looking for something w/ 4 or 6 bolt pattern that will screw in place and the exhaust will poke through. Maybe 2-3/4" or 3" ID hole. I'll cut the bumper holes to match. OR do you prefer the current dumps? They have a muscle car look and sound bad ass, but are a bit loud for distance cruising. Thoughts?

Did NOT find "PEEL & SEAL" brand at Home Depot or Lowes this afternoon. They have something similar but without the reflective side. Basically sticky on both but looks like it's much cheaper. Peel and Seal online is about 100 bucks including shipping for a 3' x 36' piece. The stuff I looked at was 50 bucks, they had some other stuff that I might be able to stick to it, was basically bubble wrap with mylar on both ends. Or maybe I can just buy some mylar camping blankets to stick on the other side... hmm.. Will see. Must have missed it, lowes online says they have a 6" x 25' roll for $14 and change. I'll ask 'em next time.

Weather was nice today, so I took a half day and pulled the trans apart. I'm pretty sure I used the wrong retaining ring. I did email Smalley, to see if they have any other thoughts on this, but based on Kevin's statement, the smaller ring should work. Took some measurements and pictures to document. Shaft OD is 1.160 Groove OD is 1.090 and is .125 wide Comparing the dimensions of the rings below and the measurments above, it's fairly obvious to me NOW that the smaller rings is a more appropriate fit in the groove. This is the Snap Ring installed to retain the driven OD gear, note the marks (Luckily the Snap Ring is softer than the shaft) THIS Snap Ring was sitting in the groove of the rearward most groove, note similar but less prominent marks. I think this snap ring should be holding the driven OD gear. This is the groove the retaining ring sit in. Look at the 4th and 5th splines from the TOP. Looks like shadows but those are the only slight wear marks produced by the failure. They are slightly polished looking and I don't think the material really deformed any. This is the groove the smaller ring was sitting in. It's just behind the speedo driver gear. I'm not really sure what it holds, but it caused enough confusion.

Got the tranny pulled this afternoon, that was a work out. I'll pull it apart this week and see what's going on in there, here is a little more detail about the pull http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=849398#post849398 Terry, do you agree that drilling the hardened shaft would weaken it?

I decided to pull just the trans by itself. Worked an hour or so yesterday prepping, pulling the dizzy, shifter, and exhaust. I rolled around looking at EVERYTHING 3 or 4 times before deciding to do it. Today, since it was so nice, I decided to go for it. Once I got all the bell housing bolts loose I regretted not trying to just pull the tail section. Actually it wasn't too bad accept for the fact that the offset of the whole thing to the passenger side made getting those bolts out almost impossible and there just isn't enough room to easily slide the trans all the way out. I had to slide/rotate/angle the 90+ thing on my chest until it came out. The input shaft came in contact with the pressure plate fingers a couple of times. I don't think I anything but, it was a bit hair raising. I'd recommend pulling motor and trans together, unless you really know what you are doing and you are in better shape than I. I really need to get back in the gym!

Not the best pic, but here are my Phanoms

I would see if painless or another afftermarket company made a harness that includes hookups for your 5.3. I'm betting some one has you covered.

Lokar also has a universal kit, where you remove the Ball from the plate, I think I drilled out the bottom of mine ( like a rivit). You then have this pin w/ two "E" Clips that go through the hole where the ball was mounted. I'll take some pics, I did it and it looks clean, was easy to install, and requires MINOR fabricating.

Searching netted this thread. I'm trying to figure out if I should pull the trans or the motor and trans to fix a problem. You can read about that in here. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=129438 Anyway, I though about just dropping the Trans, w/ out the bell housing but the HTOB is THREADED onto the input shaft, that probably won't work. So I am wondering if the JTR set up will allow me to easily pull the trans. I imagine I'll have to let the motor tilt down in the back a bit so I can get to all the bell houseing/block bolts and slide it out. Anyone done this? How did you support the back of your SBC. This part is what has me the most concerned, with the JTR mounts. all the weight is held up front w/ the trans, and withough the trans, I'll have to have a good support under the bottom.

Cool Wheels. Wheel adapters can fix this...

Regaurdless of need or not, and the fact that you can buy simular tubing (albeit in much too long a piece). A HUGE two thumbs up for making due w/ what you have lying around

A bit more plan of action. Smalley Steel Ring Company ONLY makes retaining rings. I'm going to put together some data from this situation and see what they recomend. I'm betting there is something better than a simple C ring, will see... http://www.smalley.com/retaining_rings/about_retaining_rings.asp

Dr, you are right I should do it right and buy the shaft, but I don't want to spend any more $$ right now IF I can aviod it. If I could go back, there are lot's of things I'd change, but what this project is about is learning. Of course, I just learned that I need a better solution, and I am still deciding not to go with it.....so I'm just dumb! Well maybe not dumb, more like cheap and stubborn. I am possitive there is a viable solution that will work for me w/ what I have. What that is, remains to be seen. If I fail twice then i'll try something else because the first time, I didn't know any better. I'll pull this thing, inspect the C clip and the shaft for wear like Terry mentioned, may look for a heavier C clips to install in the groove, maybe out of some other material, dunno what's out there and see what happens. Terry, the shaft was shaped, drilled, groved whatever else BEFORE it was hardened. So any change in form after hardening changes stress in the shaft and would weaken it. I am assuming the material was hardened but I'm almost positive it is. This is why I can't simply cut another groove behind the first one and make my own G-force style set up. It would probably snap clean in two.

Yeah, those are alot beefier! Whine is cool Well, maybe not if it's overdrive but still, your car should have a race car whine to it I'm wondering IF i could take two Clips and sand them down to fit in the groove and stick them in with the openings set opposed to each other. I would have control over the thickness and only allow enough clearance to get the two in there, and not much else. Any Mechanical engineers want to comment on strength of one VS two in the single groove? Or maybe give another solution. I am not buying a different output shaft unless I break this one.

Hanns, you are SICK! Loving the clear one....man you have a kick a car!

Been digging around, wondering how much work it's going to be to pull the tail shaft only. Could be tricky, but I'll take a look some time this week. Kinda hard to make out any detail in those pics above G-force needs to post some better ones, here are some that are a bit clearer from other sites. Single Grooved Output Shaft (Car Craft Article here: http://www.carcraft.com/howto/116_0609_t5_transmission/photo_07.html) Double Grooved Output Shaft (This one is from an MM&FF article here: http://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/projectcars/mmfp_0705_project_1993_ford_svt_cobra_transmission/photo_12.html) I guess the straighter the cut on the 5th gear the less pressure that gets applied, so if the HD gear is simply straight cut, that would eliminate most any pressure on that C ring. Unrelated but found a cool budget shifter for anyone looking, wish I'd have seen this months ago ( or maybe not, loving the Hurst Billet!) Company is MGW. I thought you could just buy the handle, but not so on the site....hmm

Thanks for the comments guys I grabbed my little sister in law to film, Wife wasn't around. I guess she doesn't really dig cars, oh well not my problem The car isn't goin anywhere, unless someone offers me a huge chunk of change randomly I was using that anti-freze jug as a catch can, didn't even realize it till I watched the video, HA! City picked up since the video was taken, and I worked all afternoon yesterday piling up even MORE branches up again, supposedly they are cycling through each neighborhood 3 times.

Was discussing this w/ some folks at work this AM. Guy had the same issue on his NVxxxx in his Dodge tow rig. Said that 5th gear had a bolt retaining it but would still back out. Happened so frequently he got good enough to pull the tailshaft fix it and have it back together in 30 min! This got me to thinking, I don't really need to pull everything, I'm going to take a look at how much room I have, and if I can, I'll just pull the tail shaft! I'd like to see the HD solution, Maybe 2 thinner snaprings with faces offset is worth a try. Terry, can you measure the snap ring groove in yours and the measurments of the stock snapring? Maybe we can HybridZ up a solution to this that doesn't cost an Arm and a Leg. Dr-T56 is a good option but does weight a bit more. I like the T-5, maybe only because I am familiar with it. I'd like to make it work for me, and if that includes only babying it in 5th, so be it.

From Kevin "If you lost teeth it would have make a lot of noise or possibly locked up, What is a common problem is the snap ring that iot does not inguage, thats where i would start looking. , Let me know if we can be of further help, thanks kevin" There was definitly no noise, and given the other cases, or one other case, I'm hoping that's it. Terry, in your pics you posted above, I don't see 2 snap rings, is that conical looking pc the spacer? What does G-Force offer as the HD 5th gear unit? 300 seems a bit steep.