Previously, on Transmission Repair:
Our intrepid hero, with the aid of his
mechanical whiz friend, Reginald (who may or may not turn out to be a robot in
the final episode), bravely attacked a one-of-a-kind transmission from a 1962
Oldsmobile F-85. The car belongs to Gordon's oldest daughter, who loves it
dearly. The brave duo faced numerous challenges, the first being how to jack the
car up high enough to slide under it and remove a 175-pound transmission. With
the aid of a floor jack, a block of wood found in the backyard, and a pair of
gigantic jack stands borrowed from ol' Richard, the crusty but lovable car
mechanic of the neighborhood, the two managed to safely elevate the front of the
car.
Once the car was elevated, there were many
small obstacles, as is always the case with car repairs. The starter had to be removed, along with a section
of the exhaust. Disconnecting the linkage, fluid lines, and speedometer cable
should have been easy, but a rather nasty nut on one of the fluid lines caused a
slow-down. Reggie prevailed, using a variety of wrenches and techniques in quick
order. It was at this moment that our hero began to suspect that Reggie might
be some sort of robot. While the transmission was still held
firmly in place, at Reggie's suggestion, they loosened the 8 bolts holding the
transmission to the engine. One bolt was placed in such a diabolically evil
position that it proved very difficult to break loose.
In the end, nothing but a support bar and four bolts linking the
transmission to the drive shaft stood in their way. The support bar stretched
across the bottom of the transmission and was attached on either side and in the
center. It came off easily enough, but what they thought was a block of
rubber turned out to be a solid block of metal about the size of half a
sandwich. It came about an inch from
crashing into Gordon's head when it fell. It was precisely this moment when the
first of several profanities heard that day were shouted.
Second block and jack supporting the "tranny."
Now, with the transmission supported securely
by a second jack and block of wood, 7 of the transmission bolts were removed,
leaving only the difficult-to-reach bolt, which turned out to be even nastier
than they suspected. The entire job took four hours, but this one bolt occupied
them for at least 45 minutes. The duo dubbed this bolt, "lil bastard." One
wrench could be placed over it with great difficulty, but each 16th of a rotation
was
paid for with severe pain. The bolt could be reached with a hand, but the space
around it was too tight to allow the use of an opposable thumb. It was at this
time that most of the profanities uttered that day were heard.
At long last, lil' bastard gave up the fight.
Reggie gives lil' bastard an appropriate gesture
After that it was only a matter of minutes
until the transmission was hoisted aloft in triumph. It was an emotional moment
of victory, marked by a tender, if rather greasy, embrace.
And now our fabled transmission rests in the
mysterious workshop of "Transmission Bob," the grizzled old mechanic, long retired
and working now on selected projects that baffle modern transmission shops.
The interior of Bob's mysterious workshop with our
transmission on the table
Will
Bob be able to identify the problem with our transmission? Indeed, will he even
live long enough to do so? And if the transmission is repairable, can the parts
be found for the job? Reggie and Gordon left Bob's shop with his words of warning
still ringing in their ears:
"You know, Oldsmobile abandoned the
aluminum engine shortly after 62'. It was pretty damn hard to find parts for
this transmission within a couple of years. I know a guy on the East coast.
He's grouchy as hell, but if anyone can find parts, he can. I don't know..."
It may take weeks or months to get parts, even
if they are available. If this transmission can't be repaired, only a new engine
will save the life of this classic car. Still, Reggie freakin Regan doesn't
accept defeat easily. Odds are he still has a trick or two up his filthy sleeves.
Stay tuned...
rlp
The pictures were taken by Tim
Heaven, aka "Tom."
