Transmission Removal

TOM-WA-

Has anyone ever removed the transmission AND clutch from a short wheelbase Hudson.. I have a 54 wasp and would rather NOT go thru all the trouble of removing the front seat and the floor panels if the transmission can be removed from the underside of the car either as a unit or as separate clutch & transmission.

THANKS,


TOM-WA-

hoggyrubber

i don't know about the difference for a short wheel base wasp, but i would have hated to do it without removing the floor pan. i just finished installing clutch and tranny a week or so ago and i thought it was a pain with the engine in the car. a pro could have done it better i'm sure. i did remove the rod right under tranny on pass side for brake cable which helped a little too.
it was such a piece of cake the first time i did it with the engine out. this time to get everything lined up was a pain. a extra person on top would have helped. i made a extension for my tranny jack since it was up about 3' in the air. if i have to do it again i might just pull the engine and tranny as a whole.

Park_W

Haven't done it on a short WB model, but I don't remove/install from the top any more ... too much strain on the back. With the parking brake hardware removed from below, a fairly simple process, you can lower or raise the tranny on a jack (the car has to be hign enough off the floor that the bell housing will clear the underside when removing or installing the assembly). I've found the tranny input shaft alignment is much easier when installing from below. Another very helpful if not mandatory aid is a couple of 3" headless bolts in the top two bell housing bolt holes. And another in the lower right block hole ... the one with the allignment device in it.

lostmind

A 54 trans should have the bolts on the outside of the bell housing, so you remove trans and than the bell housing from below.
You didn't say what year.

TOM-WA-

iT'S A 1954 Short Wheelbase WASP and the Service Manual says to remove it from the top thru the floor.

That is why I am asking if ANYONE has Personally removed both the transmission and the Clutch on this model Hudson from the bottom..

That is contrary to what Lost mind just posted....Have you Personally done this removal?

DocHornet

Not sure about the Wasp, but the other early 50's Hudson have a permanently welded rear tranny support. I took one out of a Pacemaker last year and I can't imagine how it could come out the bottom and clear that support.

Mine came out from inside (that's why they made that center trans. cover so large.. no problem for me, as this was a donor car, but would sure hate to wrestle with that thing inside a nice interior!

Mine went in my '51 Hornet originally equipped with a Hydramatic. The automatics DID have a rear support that unbolted from the frame on each side.

When I installed the manual tranny in my car, I modified the Hydramatic cross-member support to accommodate the manual transmission mount, so that I could unbolt the cross-member and install the transmission from the bottom... so much easier.

If you have a MIG welder, and a few balls, I can't see it would be too difficult to turn that fixed manual cross-member into a removable one. Just whack it off, then weld on some frame tabs to bolt it to. Shouldn't be rocket science

hoggyrubber

that's a good tip for the 3rd headless bolt, Park W. i just usd the top 2. i used the same ones i used for head instillation.

lostmind

Tom-WA , while you're waiting for your answer on the SWB car , I can tell you I removed the clutch from under the car on a 54 Hornet. Did not need to remove the bell housing if my memory is correct.If your bolts are on the outsde of the trans , you should be able to slide it back on a jack to access the clutch.Maybe something with the short wheel base will get in the way?
Roy

Park_W

On the "full-size" stepdowns with 2-lever tranny, once the front shaft is clear of the clutch assembly you can incline the tranny and move it back to clear the cross-member to get it out from below with no problem. Done it at least twice and much prefer that to taking it out the top.

[Deleted User]

removed ,1955 hudson hornet transmission form car.how to do it.

[Deleted User]

Tom-WA, Just get the car up on 4 jack stands, Remove drive shaft, disconnect the shift levers and remove the 4 bolts that hold it to the bell housing and slide it out. Your car was a 2 lever trans, hope no one changed it. Walt.

[Deleted User]

nebr66 You must remove the complete rear axle ass,y. Make sure the you unbolt the universal joint at the rear of the tranny and do not let the inner drive shaft come out of the tube for it will cause a vibration if not set back correctly. Then remove tranny if standard, if automatic, remove cross member after you support the engine. Walt.

Uncle Josh

I removed the 2 lever tranny from a 54 SuperWasp rolled up on it's side, and swapped it into my 52 Hornet on ramps in the driveway. Alone at age 74 by the way.

There are 4 bolts from the outside and the 2 in the cross member. The tranny slides back over the cross member. Then you can take the bell housing off to get to the clutch.

lostmind

Looks like a 2x6 LOL

Uncle Josh

Fear not. Just a safety stick in case the chain breaks. I was sammiched in one Hudson back in 55. That was enough.

[Deleted User]

looking for a good transmisson for a 1955 hudson, horney 6cyl.

[Deleted User]

When working outside like that I much prefer to do the same and roll car on its side.
I am here by myself mostly and just don't want to be under one using a jack in the dirt,

[Deleted User]

looking for a cluster cear for a hudson hornet= t86e,

[Deleted User]

I had my '53 Super Wasp at Dr. Doug's recently for some much needed work which included replacing the clutch. Doug told me the only really good way to remove the transmission/clutch is to pull it up through the floor.

Also, a very long, long time ago (1981) my dad and I replaced the clutch, throwout bearing and pressure plate assembly on my '53 Wasp. We too found it best to remove the seat and floor to get at the clutch.

Dan

Uncle Josh

I've hauled overdrives up thru the floor too but I ain't the man I used to be, then again, maybe I never was. I don't think you can get an overdrive unit up thru the floor of a Wasp.

Richie

Uncle Josh, my 51 pacemaker came with overdrive and supermatic drive. Several years ago I replaced the clutch ass'y and pulled the trans. up through the floor. It wasn't easy and took some maneuvering but there was no way it would come out the bottom with the welded cross member. The trans to bellhousing bolts were inside the bellhousing. My 53 Hornet w/overdrive has the bolts going through the trans into the bellhousing, a piece of cake to take that trans out. MHO Richie.

[Deleted User]

Ken (U-Tx),

It was the Borg-Warner transmission/overdrive that Doug removed from my Super Wasp to access the clutch.

Dan

Uncle Josh

OK, the thing is a lot shorter and lighter without the bell housing attached as in the single lever.

hoggyrubber

i done that board thing like uncle josh several times! sure makes you feel better and if it never starts to tip back over it don't take much to hold it up.

Geoff

I rigged a 4 x 2 extension on my engine crane to fit over the floor hole, and held the transmission with a chain on this, lowering it to the floor. Then you jack the car up one side to pull the unit out. Reverse the process to re-install, sure makes it easier than trying to manhandle that heavy sucker in. And use guide studs, makes it so much easier. The instruction book says "with the use of an assistant, offer the unit up to the engine". Ha-ha, jiggling that lot around aligning the clutch spline, seal etc. .