Necessity is the mother of all invention!

[ghunt81]

Trying to figure out how to reach the two upper bellhousing bolts...tried linking two wrenches together on the driver's side one and still couldn't break the damn thing loose.

I had made this "tool" a few years back out of a straight piece of 3/16" x 1 1/4" bar and the square drive out of a cheap 3/8" socket (welded on) to release the tensioner on one of my former vehicles. I thought hm, I bet I can make that work- so I bent the bar to fit around the firewall and other crap in the way- lo and behold, it actually works as a breaker bar and I was able to get both bolts loose!

Of course now I have to get them the rest of the way out which is another problem...

 

[RED09GT]

That works. I remove the intake manifold, makes the top bolts much easier to deal with.

 

[Racer47]

you have to drop the trans to separate it from the engine. do that first and the bolts come out easier.

 

[ghunt81]

That works. I remove the intake manifold, makes the top bolts much easier to deal with.

The intake isn't even my problem...it's the fact that apparently all the heater hoses and AC lines run behind the intake right in that spot and block most of the access to those bolts. Pain in the ass...

Edit: So you're right, removing the intake is probably the only good option here, but it is stuck on there so tight I can't even budge it. Remind me again why I do this for fun?

 

[golkhl]

If you have the trans out, you can grind off the non bolt hole ears on the trans, to gain extra clearance for re-installation. Also make sure to double check both ends of your clutch line(upgrade to braided metal line if possible), mine popped off at the trans and sprayed fluid everywhere.

 

[ghunt81]

Clearance wasn't really an issue with most of the bolts...the problem I actually ran into with both the starter bolts and the bellhousing bolts was the ones that had open-ended threaded holes in the block (as in all the starter bolts and most of the lower bellhousing bolts), the bolts had corroded and boogered up the threads on most of them- making the bolts a PITA to get out. I had to chase the threads in all those holes with a tap, those things are getting anti-sieze when they go back in.