Pulling The ZF in the 74

I suggest you pull your distributor before attempting it. Many folks have broken their back window. I've always yanked the engine and ZF together but I think you have the same issue when yo try to pull the ZF only......you still have to get it up high enough to clear the rear mounts so you can slide it out, and at minimum you're at high risk of breaking your dist cap or worse.

Kelly

Having just removed Carmen's motor and ZF we attached a tie down from the back of the ZF to the frame of the lift. As we lifted we had to crank it way up at an angle to clear and get it out. We also removed the alternator which hangs in a bad spot while tilting the engine.

Tim,

If your going to remove the ZF and bell housing as one piece.....The easiest way I've found to do this is to:

Take the 6 bolts your talking about out, I believe what your talking about is actually the ZF mount bolts, not the motor mounts bolts, right ? Because you don't have to touch the motor mounts to get the ZF out. Remove the 4 bolts on each haft shaft, speedo cable, reverse light wires, battery ground, the shift linkage from the ZF and the wheel house spreader bar. Remove the clutch slave line from the slave. It's also a lot easier if you remove the rear deck !

Take the nuts off the starter and pull the starter away from the bell housing. You will also find 2 bolts that hold the motor cover plate to the bell housing under the car, remove those as well otherwise it's not coming a part.

Strap/Wrap the ZF with a strong towing strap and connect it to a cherry picker of you have one, sure hope you do!! Take up the slack but no pressure yet.

Using a 2x4 on a small jack, put the 2x4 under the oil pan so that it covers from side to side so you don't crush your oil pan, raise the motor 1", maybe a little more if needed.

Put a little upward pressure on the cherry picker and make sure the ZF is being supported by the strap. Pull back on the ZF and it will seperate with the bell housing from the motor and clear the pilot bearing. Continue to rasie the cherry picker little by little while pulling back on the ZF. Keep the front of the ZF pointed a little down while your continue to rasie the the ZF while you continue to pull it back and out of the pressure plate. Make sure you guide it along the way out.

Not to complicated really. Just takes time the first time your doing it. Go slow and don't force anything...

Having taken my ZF out 5 or 6 times :-( , I've gotten it down to being able to get it out, change the pressure plate and clutch disc and get everything back together in about 5 hours by myself.

Hope this helps....

Coz, if you lift the motor an inch or so under the pan, don't you have to loosen the motor mounts to get some play?

quote:

Take the 6 bolts your talking about out, I believe what your talking about is actually the ZF mount bolts, not the motor mounts bolts, right ? Because you don't have to touch the motor mounts to get the ZF out.

I suggest modifying the ZF mounts to enable removal without any motor lifting. I'm having trouble posting pics, so maybe I could email it to someone to post for me? It's a small amount of work but it's worth it, IMHO.
Will D

Hope this works

This mod can be accomplished by heating the rear tab with a torch and bending it back horizontally. I then made a 90deg piece out of angle iron. I used a grinder to grind the radius. Now, I can unbolt the ZF and slide it backwards. No messing around with the motor. I don't use the AC condenser, so you must move that out of the way if you still have it. Easier this way, INMH.
Will D.

I never found it necessary to remove the ZF.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 4NHOTROD:
Coz, if you lift the motor an inch or so under the pan, don't you have to loosen the motor mounts to get some play?

Ahhh, I have a different ZF mount set up...
But no matter, you should still be able to lift the ZF out by removing the ZF mount bolts from the ears without loosening the motor mounts.

quote:

Originally posted by 4NHOTROD:
I suggest modifying the ZF mounts to enable removal without any motor lifting. I'm having trouble posting pics, so maybe I could email it to someone to post for me? It's a small amount of work but it's worth it, IMHO.
Will D

...I beleive that there are 3 bolts (Not 2) holding the 'Engine Plate' to the lower bellhousing...

Mine has 2.

quote:

Originally posted by MARLIN JACK:
...I beleive that there are 3 bolts (Not 2) holding the 'Engine Plate' to the lower bellhousing...

quote:

Originally posted by 4NHOTROD:
...Hope this works...

I like this modification Will, very nice.

One question however, what's up with all you Canadian's who don't have air conditioning?

cowboy from hell

Its out! I was able to pull the ZF with almost no jacking up of the engine. Just as I suspected, the pressure plate failed. One of the finger pivots broke. Thanks again for all the suggestions. Happy New Year!

Tim asked me to post this for him. He was having a problem sizing the picture...

Hello Jim,

Well I went out to the garage, attached a chain(which I had fished through a old heater hose to protect the ZF)and a couple of tie downs. I really didn't jack the engine up hardly at all..maybe a 1/2 inch. Hooked up my cherry picker, took the six bolts out of the back of the ZF mounts.....and slowly out it came! All by myself, with the deck lid on.
When I took the pressure plate off...it was just as I expected...one of the fingers had a broken pivot. This was a fairly new clutch that the previous owner had installed. I could see the flywheel had been done too. The throw out bearing is loose and feels worn....maybe they didn't replace it when they did the clutch job....stupid thing to not do.
Another thing....it look like my Pantera had a recess in the body down there....made the ZF pull easy...and....it looks like that recess was either done at the factory...or someone did a very nice job of molding it to the body...mmmmm...interesting. Still, with that recess. it was a close fit. But as they say..."an inch is a mile" when thats all you need!

Thanks Again Jim

quote:

Originally posted by TurboTim1:
Its out! I was able to pull the ZF with almost no jacking up of the engine. Just as I suspected, the pressure plate failed. One of the finger pivots broke. Thanks again for all the suggestions. Happy New Year!

Yeah.......

way to go Tim.

George