Bellhouse Bolts Nature Series, Volume 3: Capturing and Taming

Transmission's been freed.  No small amount of effort required in getting the bell unfastened, but it's done.

The transmission is a torqueflite 904, mated to the brutish 4.2L AMC 258 inline 6.  The I6 and V8 blocks of this period have the same bolt pattern, so some of the info I've provided will be useful for other configurations.  Lucky folks with a manual can just forgo all this bellhousing crap and just unbolt the transmission itself and leave the bell on the block.

Most of the bolts involved with the tf904 are easily accessible, and if you're lucky enough to be one of the majority who have or had a healthy flow of oil from the valve cover keeping everything in the engine bay well-lubricated, nearly all of them turn out fairly easy.  As always, though, there's a fuckery index value that has to be maintained for any "almost simple" task.

The maintainers of balance in this case are these top three bolts.

I spent far longer than I care to admit trying to access these things with about every configuration of wrench and socket I had available.  None of these warriors were fit to meet the challenge:

Not pictured is the 24" extension that was also in the mix.

Eventually, what won the day was deciding not to unbolt the bottom bolts first, which allowed me to drop the trans crossmember to where the retaining nuts were only on by 3 threads. This opened up enough space to use the following set up for the driver side bolt, the same with a longer extension for the passenger, and the swivel box-end for the topmost.

After that, I tightened the crossmember back up, removed the lower bolts, set my jack, and took a nap.  Hell if I know how I'm going to torque these top three to spec when putting the trans back in.  Past experience says I'll probably use the round method.  As in, "Well, I've rounded the heads off on all three of these fuckers, so they're as torqued as they're gonna get."

Here's the fastener sizes/tool type notes. I'll copy it to text later so the info can be indexed by advertisement robots.

Time to get back at it.

UPDATE: transmission is out. After a quick glance, I'm beginning to think that I'll probably have one of the two other 904s rebuilt instead of this one. Before I decide, though, I'm going to do a more thorough comparison to see what (if any) differences can be noted.

One of the others is originally from a Hornet Sportabout, if memory serves. If that's the case, it may be a 904 variant that would allow for some upgrade options.  Don't quote me on that, though; as you may have picked up already, I'm far from an expert.

UPDATE AGAIN:

Tool sizes for Torqueflite 904 transmission removal, socket should be fine unless otherwise specified.

• 5/16 - fill tube bracket
• 3/8 - u joint bolts 
• 1/2 - inspection cover, fluid line fittings on trans (wrench), crossmember bolts/nuts, oil pan
• 9/16 - starter (wrench), torque converter, top three bell bolts (ridiculous ratchet arrangement), trans mount
• 5/8 - cooler lines (flare), bottom two bell bolts

So Oily.

Alright, so the day's done (for me. It probably ended a couple hours ago for a lot of y'all).  Here's where I comfortably spent the last several hours:

Today saw the drive shaft removed, most of the transmission removal process done, and the Gremlin raised up, lowered, then raised up on the lift again after I noticed my battery ratchet was supporting the rear weight.  Works fine.

There was also some unscheduled cleaning of the garage, which leads me to one point I'd like to touch on: transmission fluid will, if given enough time to plan, escape any containment system that you or anyone else will ever dream up.  Every jug, waste oil container, rag, or carpet that you've put your faith in has no more control over it than you. They're just sad lies that will fail to avert catastrophe at some point or another.  And you'll be out of paper towels and rags when it happens, too.

My second point: when starting to perform an unfamiliar task, read through all the steps before you start.  Don't just follow them sequentially without prior familiarization.  That's how you break transmission cooler lines.  Luckily, you have tubing to bend replacements.

A few weeks have passed, and still I live.

If you want to call it that.  On the 9th of this month, I set out to make the most of the time I have at my disposal and went into the garage.  I aim to finish getting my first car back into good enough shape to pack up what I can't bear to part with and drive until I'm done driving.  If it makes any difference, my first car is a 1978 AMC Gremlin.

When I share that last detail, it's not uncommon for people to ask, "Why a Gremlin?", or simply, "A Gremlin?".  I can offer some explanation with a fun fact: most people are unaware that AMC had an elite viral marketing team who developed a biological agent that attacks the brains of certain people who find themselves in possession of a Gremlin.  Much like a person inflicted with toxoplasmosis, the infected are driven by the urge to service, maintain, and endlessly talk about their vehicle.  Often, vehicles.

You see, much like the cat lady, Gremlin "enthusiasts" often find themselves occupying every square foot of available storage space with Gremlins and the parts to (someday) repair or maintain them.  This is all by design. AMC actually made a public nod to this effect in the following advertisement:

I'm fortunate in not yet having reached this stage in my affliction.  I worry, however, that the '78 AMX in another garage, as well as the '85 Eagle wagon that's my daily are signs of a deteriorating state.

I'll be following up soon with current status info, pictures, and things that I hope will prove helpful to others (even if you aren't rife with disease).




Also, comments containing jokes referencing the Gremlins movies or Wayne's World will be deleted.  Comments referencing the Warner Bros cartoon gremlin, on the other hand, are welcome.