volkswagner Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Got the 3.7's in the rear. Wow what a great improvement. So much nicer to drive on the freeway. Obviously I have to down shift in a couple more places on my commute but that way outweighs the high RPM of the shorter gears for me. IT's funny, now that the motor isn't so loud, I realize I really need some new window felt. So much wind noise all of a sudden! Note on the diff install. When I went to jam the new diff in the housing something was clashing. I could only get to about 1/4" gap and then something clashing. I suspect it was the bearing caps hitting the lip where the housing pumpkin is welded on. I started some of the nuts and torqued them a little at a time to see if it was maybe just a burr on the housing or something stopping it. Right as I was about to give up and didn't want to torque any more it jumped into place. Then everything moved perfectly freely. I took it out at one point and could see no witnesss marks of where it was hitting. Anyone run into this? Just curiosity at this point now that it's in. 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 If your talking about putting the pumpkin/gearset into the axle housing it should have just dropped in, maybe it wasn't dropping/sliding in straight. If your talking about an axle, I would be worried, it should have went home when the axle teeth aligned. 1 Quote Link to comment
volkswagner Posted February 2, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 pumpkin into axle housing. a tried wiggling it all over to get it straight. I think the tolerance on the axle flange and the pumpkin boss must have been clashing. Either way, it's probably gonna be a bear if it ever need to come out! 1 Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted February 2, 2018 Report Share Posted February 2, 2018 Maybe a couple of the studs were bent when it was dropped out the last time, I have never had this issue you are talking about, I am just guessing. 1 Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Fun read Sam. 1 Quote Link to comment
volkswagner Posted March 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 I pulled the wagon into the garage for motor swap so I've been dailying the 521. It's been much nicer since the 3.7 gears. However, low rev. high torques boggs on my commute have taken their toll on the already weak clutch. It was almost to the point where I would have to give it enough power to slip in order to make it to 4th on the highway. No bueno.Luckily, I just barely put a new clutch int the wagon about a 1000 miles ago an now with the motor swap I won't be using it. Love being able to repurpose parts!Unfortunately the lightened flywheel from the wagon is 6 bolt. Can't win them all. Had to take advantage of the sun since the wagon is hogging my 1 bay. Clearly the clutch was actually toast and it wasn't a different issue. Worn to the rivets and started marking the pressure plate, luckily didn't marr the flywheel. Test drive success, had to have been the easiest transmission job I've ever done.Question though, if I actually wanted to take the tranny out, do you have to remove the torsion rods? Didn't look like it would fall between them. 2 Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 You can pull one of them, pull the motor....or I think it was proven that you can unbolt the cab and jack it up a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted March 4, 2018 Report Share Posted March 4, 2018 If you have a bench seat in a 521, you have to remove it to remove the transmission, and the plate in the cab that covers the shifter. Do all the normal remove transmission stuff, remove the rear transmission mount from the frame cross member. The transmission can then be slid aft, until the input shaft clears the pressure plate. I think you can then rest the transmission on the torsion bars, and relax for a bit. Then roll the transmission slightly, the starter bump will clear the torsion bars, you can drop the front of the transmission, while the tailshaft goes in to the cab, where the seat was, and then slide the transmission forward and down under the engine, and the tail shaft clears the transmission cross member. With me, putting the front end of the 521 up on drive on ramps gets the truck high enough that I can work easily under the truck, but not so high that I am reaching up too far. 2 Quote Link to comment
Charlie69 Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 Great discription of the 521 trans removal DanielC. Quote Link to comment
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