I'll begin by stating a disclaimer. Your experience and circumstances may be different than mine, so I'll post basically what
I had to do to accomplish this upgrade. Your situation may be different, but in any event, I hope you can benefit from this in some way!!
Transmission upgrade
1. disconnect battery
2. jack up truck so that there is 14+” clearance under rt torsion bar at front tire
3. place jack stands under the frame
4. drain the oil from the transmission by removing the drain plug with a 24mm socket or wrench
5. remove the drive shaft at the rear end using a 12mm wrench on long bed truck, remove the two bolts where the two pieces of the drive shaft meet at the bearing using a 17mm wrench/socket.
6. on LS models, remove the console using a Phillips screw driver, and unplug the wiring harness going to the gauges. Take off the shifter knob, slide the console off.
7. remove the rubber shifter boot, and pull up the smaller rubber boot exposing the 12mm bolts holding the shifter into place. Remove shifter. Make a cardboard cover and punch out holes for the bolts and cover and fasten down the exposed hole w/ the cardboard piece.
8. at the bottom side of the bell housing, remove 4 small 10mm bolts and the 14mm exhaust pipe brace bolt to take off the inspection plate
9. remove the spring attached to the clutch arm, remove the clutch cable by clamping a vise grip onto the arm, and releasing the clutch with brute strength, then the cable will slip off the arm. Ease off the clutch arm and take off the vise grip.
10. remove the speedometer cable and the back-up (reverse) light switch wires. Take the wire loose from the clamp at the top of the transmission. Place both of these out of the way.
11. support under the engine with a bottle jack and some 2x6’s Have the handle ready so you can adjust the height of the tailshaft later.
12. remove the bracket and transmission mount at the rear of the tranny. Jack up the bottle jack so it will clear.
13. lower the bottle jack so the tailshaft drops down to the crossmember.
14. using a 14mm socket w/ impact and a 14mm wrench, take out all the 14mm bolts. Using an extension and the 14mm deepwell socket, reach over the top of the transmission and remove the three 14mm bolts at the top of the transmission. Grab a 17mm box wrench, and place it on each nut on the front side of the starter. Take the impact wrench and remove the 17mm bolts and pull the starter back(forward) a little. Last, take the same 17mm socket and remove the last two large bolts at the bottom corners.
15. try to work the transmission back. If it’s stuck, begin with a large screw driver and get it started to separate. Then use a pry bar. Be careful not to bust the casting of the bell housing. You’ll know once it gives way. Lay down on your back you head pointed to the back of the truck. Raise your knees til they touch the transmission. Pull back on the transmission, then rotate the top towards the driver’s side about 70-90 degrees so the starter hump will miss the floor board. Pull the tailshaft back onto the cross member until the bell housing is clear of the flywheel. Drop the front of the trans to the floor by straightening you legs and knees go down. Spread your legs so the transmission hits the floor (onto some cardboard). Crawl out from under the truck, and then reach under and slide the transmission out.
16. Remove the clutch & pressure plate with a 12mm socket.
17. Pilot bearing comes out best if you take off the flywheel. I use a 19mm socket on my impact wrench. Take a blind hole puller, or pilot bearing puller w/ a slide hammer, and gradually tap out the old bearing.
18. install a new bearing by testing a socket just smaller then the bearing OD and will fit easily into the crank. Then get the bearing started with a block of wood and hammer. Then use the selected socket against the bearing to tap in into the crank then rest of the way.
19. remove clutch arm and set to the side. Remove the ball that the one end of the clutch arm is fastened. Remove the 6 bolts that hold the front cover on.
20. When taking the cover off, pay close attention to the direction the large cupped washer against the input shaft bearing. The outer edge of the washer should be touching the outer race of the input shaft bearing (cupped part concaved side of washer facing the bearing).
You will be reusing the diesel input shaft cover, not the gasser’s cover21. remove the flat split ring surrounding the input bearing. It will not have holes at the ends.
22. Place two pieces of 2x4 on the floor and position them so that the outer edges of the bell housing can rest on them when you…
23. Take the transmission and stand it up on the 2x4’s tail shaft up.
24. Use two Vise Grip C-clamps or two larger Vice Grips to clamp the center plate and the rear half of the transmission together. (if the transmission comes apart at the rear section, you will have to make two new gaskets rather than one).
25. Take a 14mm socket, extension and remove all the bolts You may need a screw driver to drive between the bell housing and the center plate and brake them free of each other. You may only need a leather mallet, or a rubber one to pop the bell housing a little to separate it at the desired seam. You may want to do this as you’re lifting slightly on the tail shaft.
26. Once the two parts are loose, you can lift he back section away from the bell housing and place it onto a clean piece of cardboard. If you’re using two complete transmissions for the upgrade, you’ll have to go through all this twice.
27. Clean up the diesel bell housing surface to be attached to the new transmission, and the front cover mating surfaces. Clean up the new transmission surface to be mated with the diesel bell housing. Wipe them down with a degreaser like carburetor cleaner or brake cleaner.
28. If you don’t know how to make your own gaskets, maybe you can buy a set. Viewing the pictures may help you in making your own. Check with Jerry Lemond. You may be alright by using RTV sealer only.
29. Place a light film of RTV sealer on both surfaces to be bolted together. Place the gasket on the bell housing half still sitting on the 2x4’s. Pick up the back half of the new transmission and carefully place it into the bell housing. Don’t let it break the seal between the tail shaft and the center plate. Start all the bolts back into the holes by hand. Don’t forget where the one goes with the little bracket that the clutch arm spring hooks to. Tighten them all up good and snug. Refer to your manuals for proper torque specs.
30. Remove the input shaft seal with a suitable tool. Reinstall a new one. It should be O’Reilly or Advance Auto seal # 1990. I paid $7.99 for one.
31. Clean out any crud that might have gotten into the front bearing area during the preceding steps. Install the retainer ring onto the input bearing.
Place the concave domed shaped washer in the cover. The outer edge of the ring must touch the outer race of the input bearing. If it’s backwards, it will be putting pressure on the middle of the bearing. Convex side outward, concave side inward. TIP: I put some grease in the cover where the ring goes so it wouldn’t fall out while placing the cover on. Smear a thin coat of RTV onto both surfaces to be bolted together, TIP: Put some RTV on the bolts to prevent oil from leaking out. Tighten to specs. Install the ball socket for the clutch arm. Clean it up some. Smear some fresh grease on it.
32. Remove the throw out or release bearing from the arm. Remove the old bearing using your vise (or a press) and a socket just smaller than the bearing outer edge. Tap it out with a mallet.
33. Take the new bearing and place it onto the collar. Place small pieces of wood against both jaws of your vise and the collar& bearing between them. Crank the vise until the bearing is pressed all the way on. Clean off the old grease from the collar, and smear some new grease inside and on the little ears that rest on the clutch arm.
34. Put some fresh grease on the ball socket end of the clutch arm and reinstall the clutch arm by snapping the wire clip around the back side of the ball.
35.
A TIP from Jerry: before reinstalling the transmission, take a drill bit slightly larger than the hole (17/64” I think) and drill out the dowel hole at the top flange of the bell housing. (facing the bell housing it will be the farthest hole on your left on top) This made re installation much easier.
36. TIP: Loosen the filler plug while it’s out of the truck, then snug it back up until you’re ready to fill it.
37. Swap your drive shaft yoke out to the new size if you haven’t done so already.
38. Reinstall the transmission, starter, and drive shaft. Fill with Jerry recommended 5W-30 synthetic oil. Hook everything up. And crank it up!!
39. I’ve heard Jerry mention to make sure you get the new shifter with the 2.3 gas transmission to be used with the upgrade. This may be the only time I disagree with Jerry. If I had to do it over again, I would swap out the square box/base holding the shifter, and use the old shifter. The reason is that the old rubber boot that seals off the hole isn’t tall enough to fit around the fat part of the shifter shaft (the black part about 1-1/4” diameter) On the newer shifter, the large diameter part of the shifter is higher up because in the 88-95 truck, the boot is taller. It is also square at the base, so it can’t be used in the older truck, which is round. Now, if the shifter ends are the same and have the same # of bolts in the cover, they may just interchange. My 85 trans had two bolts, and the 92 had three bolts. I have seen the older transmissions with the three bolt cover as well.
40. After my test drive, I’ve noticed that the speedometer is off, but not sure how much. I do know it is slow.
41. There’s probably something I’ve left out and there’s probably a better way to accomplish this task, but this is the way I’ve done it. Whichever way you do it, have fun….and do it before you get too old.
I’m in pain!
two # 3 pictures
)