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Posted by Tom in Indiana [32.136.35.93] on Friday, June 01, 2012 at 03:02:21 :
I crawled underneath the D500 at the Dodge graveyard this morning and pulled the NP435 that I'd been searching for, and bought the complete bellhousing/clutch parts/flywheel/transmission for $200. The trans removal was a whopping 15-minute job. But, I had to leave the rest of the setup for another day, because, as I had hoped beyond hope WOULDN'T be the case, the old Poly is stuck. As in, pry bar, breaker bar, no-chance-of-ever-turning-the-engine-over-again stuck. I managed to remove three of the pressure plate bolts, but reaching the others was impossible, I thought at the time. Rain was coming fast, and I had to give up until another day. The bellhousing and mount bolts/nuts are already removed, so I can pick up where I left off easily.
I've never dealt with a "Poly" bellhousing before, and normally, a stuck engine isn't THAT big of a deal. Since it's impossible to remove the bell with the flywheel still on the engine, I'm lost as to what to try next. The thought of using a swivel through the throwout bearing hole in the pressure plate to remove bolts torqued to 85+ ft.lbs or whathaveyou just doesn't sound like a possibility. Getting to the other three pressure plate bolts is probably NOT possible. Is there a trick one of you has found that works for removing the flywheel/pressure plate in this situation? I traded my bellhousing/flywheel straight across for this setup, because I could get the clutch and everything with the transmission, and that'd be a big headache-saver. Little did I know, I got a headache, anyway.
While under there, creating new curse words for the English language, I spied a remote-mounted (Midland?) brake booster setup on the truck. I started taking it off, then stopped; I wanted to ask you guys if I should buy it and use it on my '50. It appears in excellent shape, and I know they are rebuildable. The question is, is it worth getting (for probably $20), and will it work with my Dana differentials with F/R disc brakes? I don't want to go to hanging pedals unless I absolutely am forced to. As big of a cramp the floor-mounted ones are, they're part of what I love about my truck.
Mr. Dorr, I haven't forgotten about you- your payment is on its way. Thanks again.
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