78jeepstang

Well, my clutch is now 100% junk. Its been chattering lately, i've just been living with it because its been holding, and I really didn't want to chance it in the middle of winter. Now, its having trouble holding when i'm pulling a load.....so its officially done. Its pretty bad when you can slip it with 1/2 throttle in 3rd gear

Couple of questions. 1- i'm definitely planning on getting a South Bend (no point in doing a job twice). Which one would be the most appropriate - kind of on the fence between the con-o and the con-ofe . Right now my truck just has a #11 plate in it & BHAF / 4" exhaust. This year i'm probably going to put in a 3k GSK & either the 50 or 75 horse DDP injectors. No plans for a big turbo / etc - the injectors will be as far as i'm going 2- feedback from anybody who's done this before - any tips / tricks? Unfortunately i'm going to have to be doing it in the driveway, since my truck doesn't fit in the garage. I just picked up a transmission jack for some work on my Cherokee so that should help with managing the NV4500, but if anybody has any tricks that make the job easier i'd love to hear them!

Lary Ellis (Top)

OFE is a much more popular clutch in your HP rating...lots of them on the road with happy customers

78jeepstang

OFE it is then - that's the way I was leaning. Now to swallow the price tag

Any good deals out there, or are they all in the $900 - $950 price range? The thing that sucks is that I won't be able to order it until the 10th - and have to have it installed / broken in / ready to run by June 4th. Love those deadlines!

jstone44720

Tip one - make sure you have a helper - so much easier
2 - I had to put a small jack on the crank damper to push the rear of the engine down so I could get the trans out.
3 - I don't know if I did this out of order or what, but I split the bell housing and transmission. That caused a lot of grief getting the shifter out of its hole in the cab. The other way may eliminate the need for a jack on the damper. Also possible: use a few small jacks and boards to pick the cab up off its mounts a bit. My body mounts were sagged out, and reduced the room I had to work in.
4- try to pick up both ends of the truck 6 or 8 inches - I had to fight the transmission out through the wheel well because it was too high to clear a frame rail when sitting on the jack
5 - an impact and a loooong extension with a universal for the trans and bell housing bolts.
6- Replace anything else that looks questionable while you are in there - it is a lot of work to do twice.
7. There are a few cross member bolts that you must access through holes in the outside of the frame -> don't drop your socket
8. Yes, the cross member will come out. There are no hidden tack welds. A rubber mallet will adjust its attitude.

These are the key points I learned when doing mine twice, once for clutch and once for rebuild. Hopefully someone will clear up number 3 a bit more.

gorms

For #3 above, after dropping the crossmember, don't be afraid to let the trans drop a bit to get to the transfer case nuts, a ratchet wrence is really the only way to go with those. Pulling the shifter stub and plugging the hole with a rag lets it clear out of the floor pan much easier. Just watch the fan blades, make sure you don't mash the radiator while letting the trans drop.

Once I had it to where I wanted it, then I placed a jack under the crank to keep the motor in place.

Also, a bottle jack and a block of wood works great for spreading the frame rails a bit to drop the crossmember. They say it comes out when hit to the rear, I just spread em and watch it drop. Have fun!

jstone44720

I like spreading the frame rails - I have a port-a-power that I think will reach.
I did not know how to remove the shifter stub, but I will try it next time.
Thanks for the extra advice. Hope these help the OP.