Tremec Centering Pt II

[mikey]

Just to say thanks to all who helped and a little feedback.
Well after much frustration and the neighbour learning a new foreign language I managed to get the bellhousing to bang on parallel and the eccentricity to 1 thou. Feeling very proud of myself, I took it apart and did a recheck only to find that the bell housing now was 1.5 thou out of parallel and the eccentricity 2.5 thou out. I was disappointed until I realised what amount of error I was trying to get rid of. Anyway it is within tolerance and I’m purring like a contented cat, for the time being.
Wilf hit the nail on the head when he stated that its very much a learning curve and a matter of patience, Set yourself aside the whole weekend (at least) to deal with setting the mating face parallel and centering. Also you get some pretty weird results i.e. you make an adjustment and it doesn’t quite have the same effect as you thought. Unfortunately not quite is quite a lot when you are working in thou. Its not that its hit and miss, its just that it takes some time for it to click as to what you need to do to effect appropriate adjustment. It is worth getting the offset dowels slack enough to rotate when the bellhousing is in place. Adjusting with the gauge reading takes a lot of the guess work out. You can then knock the dowel further home with some thread lock. The offset dowels come with grub screw locks but if the engine is in situ (as mine) there is no room to drill and tap these.
To all those who have the job to perform it is not an easy or enviable task, however there is a sort of masochistic enjoyment of suffering you go through thinking of those who have got it all to come. The best bits when you’ve finished the deed. The last time I exclaimed in a similar way was when England won the won the World Cup; it’s that sort of accomplishment.
Maybe one day I’ll be ready to do it all again, But not in this lifetime.
Mike
:9 :7 }> x(

[robert]

I have done it once, and that was enough for me, so I know what you mean. It can be very very frustrating.

Best Regards

Robert
Forum Admin

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[wilf]

Well done Mike, glad to see that kit builders can take the time and trouble to do things properly still. It always pays off in the long run.
At one stage of my life I was a Development Engineer working on large electric motors and stuff - things like the alternators out of the High Speed Train,and I spent a lot of time aligning test rigs. Very frustrating stuff when you are looking to get cardan shafts aligned to within 5 thou axially and radially, and all you have to make an adjustment with is a sledgehammer, 'cos the thing you are trying to move just a bit weighs 5 tons! Shims??? I've sh*t em!

Soo - I do know how frustrtaing it can be, but as they say, God is indeed in the details.

Wilf

[dave]

I was asleep when England won the world cup.....in my cot.:P

[RigMan]

..........told you it would be rewarding when you finished! Congrats on doing the job!

RigMan

[nbracken]

Mickey, I will be attempting this job myself over the Christmas hols - finally replacing my auto box with a manual. I would really appreciate talking through with you the pitfalls and tips to overcome. If you don't mind can you drop me an e-mail with your number and I will call you - I am currently in Germany.

Thanks in anticipation.

[mikey]

Sweeter than sex,although it takes as much coaxing to get it!!
Mike.

[wilf]

Mike, let's get this straight - nothing is actually sweeter than sex, much as we love our cars. Sex can be so wonderful, especially if you lie on your arm first to make it "go to sleep".

Wilf

[STOMPER]

I have been following this tremec posting because I will be fittng a tremec
myself over the christmas break. I see that you dial in the hole for the bell
houseing to the crank to get centre.My question is, Is the tremec made that well
that the first motion shaft is going to fit dead centre of the hole in the bell
housing.Because if it not it may be out of line.It may be a daft question but I
am sure some one will tell me.
regards
paul

[wilf]

Good question Paul, I guess we have to assume that the g'box machining is accurate. For sure, if you get the bellhousing alignment well out, you will get problems such as clutch drag/ bad gearchanges etc, with possible ultimate component failures.
This really is a belt and braces thing - with a new tremec, and new bellhousing, 90% of the time you would get away without doing it, But since it costs little other than time, do you want to risk being in the other 10%?

Wilf