Removing bellhousing upper bolts

[zzyzx]

Hey guys, is there a trick to removing the two uppermost bellhousing bolts? There's so little access there. I can get a shorty wrench on them, but it doesn't provide enough leverage. What's the best way to get these two bolts off?

 

[srtthis]

long ass extention with a swivel

 

[faststang90]

i lowered the tranny down and got them 2 first and worked my way down. the tranny stayed on the dowels then just worked it off them.

 

[zzyzx]

So you come at them from underneath the car?

 

[Jaswir]

yes under is the easy way! i take off the cross memeber and have the jack support the rear of the tranny and then lower the tranny about 4 inches and gives easy access to the top with extensions

 

[capri debris]

The best way I've found is to remove the dash, drill two holes in the firewall and access them with a 6" extension on a ratchet.




Just kidding.... they aren't easy. I've used like mentioned above, long extension with swivel. But I've also taken a torch to a wrench to custom bend it to get in there better.

 

[zzyzx]

Thanks!

 

[zzyzx]

Wow, I just got both of them off in about 15 minutes. I was going to go in underneath with a bunch of extensions, as per your suggestions, but I tried this tool that I got from Sears and it worked awesome. (No, I am not a paid salesman of Sears!) I tried to post a photo of it but I'm not sure how. It's a ratcheting wrench with a handle that can be moved 90 degrees.

 

[Chrome_Rust]

i just popped the upper intake off, then used a ratcheting wrench...

 

[jrichker]

The best way I've found is to remove the dash, drill two holes in the firewall and access them with a 6" extension on a ratchet.

That ranks right up there with cutting an access hole in the trunk to get at the fuel pump without dropping the tank. Everyone thinks it's a great idea, but no one has actually posted the measurements on where to locate the hole and how big the hole has to be...

Maybe some brave soul will try it on one of the cars bound for the crusher...

 

[Vinnietbird]

That ranks right up there with cutting an access hole in the trunk to get at the fuel pump without dropping the tank. Everyone thinks it's a great idea, but no one has actually posted the measurements on where to locate the hole and how big the hole has to be...

Maybe some brave soul will try it on one of the cars bound for the crusher...

I did that in the Thunderbird. The panel is one of those things I wish I had done years ago.Anytime I've had to swap a pump,it happened when I had a full tank,and was away from home.Now,I can swap a pump in 5 minutes. I had no measurements,so,I had a pretty good idea about where the pump was,so,I installed a thick layer of tape around a drill bit about 1/2" from the cutting tip,and drilled above the pump (the tape stops the bit).I then used a small flash light to see where the position of the pump assembly was,drew a pattern on the trunk floor,and used the Dremmel with a cutoff wheel and cut the hole. I went to Lowe's and bought a 12x12 piece of steel (they have various gauges of it) and made a panel for it A bead of sealant and a few short sheet metal screws,and I was done.The whole process took about 30 minutes.

Now,sorry about that. Back on topic. I have my smog equipment removed,so I am able to just reach back behind the engine from up top and remove the bell housing bolts. I know,I drive a T-Bird,but under the hood is nearly identical to the Stangs.