Best way to remove Dynaflow 56 special

[56buickinga]

If I remember from the shop manual it states to loosen the rear axel and shift it 6 inches back to allow the trans room to slide back and drop down. Is this the easiest and best way or would pulling the engine out be a better alternative?

Thanks

Jon

[Leif Holmberg]

The same question has been on this forum before yours.

I think it will be easier if you remove the rear wheels too.

Take look at this ,http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/463289/Re_Torque_Ball_Seal_Replacemen#Post463289

Leif in Sweden.

[Bhigdog]

Either way is a pain in the butt, but pulling the rear back is a LOT less of a pain. Loosen shocks, panhard strut, 4 torque tube bolts. I use two good sized turn buckles between the rear and bumper brackets or frame to pull the rear aft. The nice part of turn buckles is you will have a lot of control especially when reinstalling. By turning one at a time you will have a measure of sideways adjustment and the adjustments are infinate. Make sure you do everything safely and with the car well supported with heavy jack stands and strong chains or straps to the rear. There is real potential for injury here if you are careless........Bob

[56buickinga]

Is there anyone in the general area of Atlanta Georgia thats done this and would not mind assisting me sometime? Ive got decent mechanical skills but for some reason I am a bit afraid to tackle this job without having done it before.

[Guest imported_MrEarl]

Jon, I'd love to say bring her over and we'll tackle it but I have two cars broke down awaiting reassembly so don't have the free time. It is a PITA but not that bad. If you've pulled an engine and can fly an airplane you can pull a Dynaflow.

[56buickinga]

On the moving of the rear axle, would it be a smoother operation to just drop the whole axle out and pull it back. I am planning on getting some heavy duty jack stands and all the safety things. I was thinking while having the rear end down I could replace my rear springs which are weak.

The torque tube is what concerns me, I've pulled many transmissions mostly out of 70's model GM veichles and older Willys products but all had conventional driveshafts. I just dont want any springs or important parts flying out when the tube slides back.

Thanks for the offer MrEarl, I think I am going to rent a hangar here at the airport for a month to repair my car. It is a nice open level area with lights and outlets for power.

Flying airplanes in general is not all that difficult ( matter of fact flew over your house this evening about 830 ), as is pulling an engine. As Ive stated earlier its new and somewhat expensive territory.

[JoelsBuicks]

That's how I did it on my '60. This whole job of replacing the torque ball seal took about 10 hours. I had all the tools, parts, jacks and supports, etc. There's no danger of flying parts but you should take time to note part orientation and sequence of events as you go along. In addition to the normal procedures, the following were helpful to me:

Get the rear of car way high - you need the crawl room and you need clearance to move the rear end back with tires on.

Remove the brake line mount that is located near the torque ball assembly, you need the access room for the bolts around the torque ball.

I used the recommended 3" guide pins (3/8" all thread) to allign the assembly as it went back together.

Make certain that the shaft splines align properly as it will only go back one way. Mark the position of the "spline feature" on the outside of both male and female pieces because the spline alignment is hard to see as you recouple these. If at all possible - have someone help you with this.

Refill and bleed brakes!

This job sounds much worse than it is. However, if you don't have the means to get the car elevated and secured, I'd get someone else to do it. You're going to be pushing and shaking things a bit and it's no place for any shaky jack stands.

Good Luck!

[rmartens]

I pulled the rear axle out from under my '56 Century before I removed the Dynaflow. I removed the tires so I didn't have to lift the car so high.

As already noted, you'll need to remove the brake line and parking brake cable.

I made guide pins by cutting the heads off of some long bolts--all thread should work as well. I pulled the torque tube back into position using nylon straps--gave me good control by using straps every which direction. Once it was on the guide pins securely, I replaced the pins with long bolts and used the threading action to pull things into place slowly.

Have fun!

[Lapham3]

I might look at working from the other end-pull the engine/ trans as an assembly. A good time to pull the engine oil pan and check things out-

[56buickinga]

I rebuilt the engine in July of 08. So everything motor wise is good. I did not mess with the transmission then because it wasnt leaking and I like the saying if its not broke dont mess with it. Looking back I should of just done everything when I had it down.