By Robert Olah in the March 2002 RootesReview:
The Sunbeam Work Shop manual says to remove the transmission “the engine and gearbox must be removed as a complete unit.” I took my Tiger to Superior Transmission in Peekskill, NY for rebuild and the following are the steps they took to remove the transmission and clutch without removing the engine.
From above before raising the car on a lift:
- Drive the car on the lift and disconnect the battery.
- Drain the radiator and remove it along with the shroud and fan.
- Remove the air cleaner and carburetor so they won’t hit the firewall.
Raise the car on a lift and from below:
- Disconnect the exhaust pipes at the manifolds or headers at the flanges.
- Remove the starter, driveshaft, shift linkage, transmission crossmember and its mount
- Remove the clutch slave-cylinder bolts and tie the cylinder back with the fluid line still connected.
- Remove the two down-facing motor mount bolts on each side at the end
- With the transmission slid all the way back, support the front of the transmission with a jack, move the engine forward 1/2″ to 3/4″. (This is all it will go with the headers on.) At this point the engine will drop down in the back so that you can get to the bell housing bolts.)
- Remove the bell housing bolts and with two people, pull rearward and rotate the bell housing until the transmission input shaft clears the bell housing and drops down. It should clear by 1/4″.
- At this point the transmission and clutch can be replaced or rebuilt.
- Replace everything in reverse order.
(Robert Olah has been a member of TE/AE since the ’70s and has owned his car since 1972. His car has won over 45 awards at various shows, most recently the 1st place Special Interest prize at New England Region Shelby American Auto Club’s 19th annual Vintage Festival in Lime Rock, CT, Sept. 2001. The car, pictured here, has a 1968 302 CID engine from a Shelby Mustang with 289 Shelby heads, a high rise Cobra manifold, a Holley 850 CFM Double Pumper carb, traction masters, roll bar, Ansen Mag wheels, 13″ front and 14″ rear and many, many other modifications. It is painted a bright purple.)