Just curious...for those of you who have installed your own clutch & flywheel. What was the level of effort? How long did it take(tools out till tools up)? Any special tools required? I'm thinking about trying this with some jackstands in my garage, but need some affirmation before I dive in. Are their any writeups on this that I missed?

Feedback appreciated...

-Blaise

 

Wow, I wouldnt want to do it on jack stands. I installed a TN turbo in my garage on jack stands. That wasn't too bad. I changed my clutch and fly on an air force base. I am a government employee so I have access to the "auto hobby shop". I would not want to change the fly/clutch on my back. It could be done but man it will be a *****. As far as tools. You will need the normal wrenches, extensions and ratchets along with a torque wrench, torx bit(cant remeber the exact size) loctite, also a tool (cant remeber the name) but it will lock up the flywheel so it wont turn it when you are removing and tightening the flywheel bolts. You will also need some kind of tranny jack or I am sure you could use a modifed floor jack so when you remove the tranny. I dont know if it would be worth the headache though.

 

Thats what I was wondering. I did my Turbonetics install in the parking lot of my appartment complex. I wasnt sure how much more or less involved this would be. But if a shop is only going to charge a few hundred, it may be worth having them do it.

 

I suppose it would be possible but handling the tranny in the cramped space available on jack stands would make it a real biatch. Youre going to need a jack that can get under there and support the tranny and also be able to move it out & back into position. I don't think I'd try this one and i've done all my stuff on jack stands.

 

I did it with 2 guys in the garage on jack stands.
First transmission weighs 147#, it isn't something two guys can pick up.
Tools needed: tranny jack, Torx T-55 for flywheel bolts.
If you have done clutches before this is an easy one with lots of room.

 

Trust me, it will be the best $400 you will ever spend. Get it installed at a shop. Its not hard to do, but on the floor, with jack stands....huge PITA. Just my opinion.

 

i did mine on truck jack stands and got it off the floor as much as i could. i can tell you right now you will need to make some sort of cradle or something on the jack. i am pretty strong and have been working on cars my whole life, and i dropped the trans on my arm!!! the balance is really hard to find with a regular floor jack. i tried it all. finally i had to make a cradle to hold the trans, then it was a piece of cake. except for the whole lifting the trans into the cradle under the car, lol.
unless you like injuries and swearing or the shear challenge, pay to have it done.

 

^^^A very well written version of: It will be the best $400 you ever spend. ^^^

 

I paid the neighbor kid (23yrs old) that does vehicle restorations(Pierce Aero, Cadillac, Auburn, etc..) $200 for the muscle. Better quality work than any stealship, it was a couple evenings. ~6 1/2hrs of back work, not mine. I sat in the chair and drank beer and handed tools under car for the muscle/youth.

My Borla dual exhaust just makes the job more of a PITA!

 

LOL..I thought you were employing underaged child labor...until I saw his age.

 

lol. thats classic. but so is spending days under your car getting cuts and bruises and swearing up a storm while your significant other keeps b!tching at you to quit playing with your tools.

 

i went thru this about a month ago. there is a local store here that charges 250 to do it, but being the cheap *** i am i decided to do it myself. i borrowed a tranny jack, it was pretty cool. had a long top in the shape of a V that the tranny rested on with a strap that held the tranny tight, crank it up and down. i bought a torx set for 15, a flywheel tool for 20 and a universal clutch alignment tool for 20.

taking the tranny off was easy, nothing to it. getting the clutch and flywheel on, easy. getting the tranny back in, a major PITFA! got it all in and lined up, but i couldnt get it on the final half inch, something was binding it up. so, what did i do, had the car towed (70) to that shop, paid them to install the tranny (100), paid to have it towed home (70). they got it on as far as i did, then used the tranny bolts and an impact to pull the tranny the rest of the way on, doh , why didnt i think of that and save myself 240.

if youre wondering why i paid to get it towed home, i have the aps single turbo, all that has to be taken off, and i didnt want the shop doing all that work.