Main thing to remember is work from a clean table and layout the various parts as you slide them off the main shaft oriented as they come off. Kee used to include the assembly instructions taken from the old "Motor Repair Manual" I think he updated this if I recall last time I bought a kit from him. (been 3-4 years since) After you get the front bearing off the input shaft stick the shaft in the freezer for a few hours. And stick the new input bearing in the oven at about 150-200*. Doing this should allow the new bearing to slide right onto the shaft. Get a tube of thick grease too, to pack the needle bearings in the cluster gear to keep em in place as you drop the cluster gear in the case(and the shims on either end in place) until you slide the cluster shaft in place.

 

Got the parts kit last night. Among all the goodies, there is a magnetic drain plug, but no instructions on installing it. My case has a flat spot near the bottom with more meat than the rest of the case, and it has a round disk magnet attached to it there. I could drill and tap that "boss" area for the new plug, but since it rises up almost 1/4" above the floor of the case, it would not allow all the oil to fully drain if I used just that. On the other hand, I could drill a hole in the physical bottom of the case for best drainage, but I'm not sure if that area is thick enough.

So, where is the best place to install the drain plug, and should I remove the old magnet, since I want the metal droppings to be attracted to the magnetic plug?

 

You can use the bottom bolt in the tailhousing to drain the oil. The Toploader I have, has a drain plug in the location you're talking about. But You can always drill the case for the plug, then using a porting bit, chamfer the area around the hole to allow it to drain better. Then tap it.

 

Thanks, I guess I can use both the tail housing bolt and the new drain plug if I really wanted to empty the case.

 

After some delays, I finally have the thing put together with the new parts from David Kee. I found a flat spot on the bottom of the case that looked like a boss of some sort, and drilled and tapped it for the drain plug. I decided to use a 1/2-20 oil pan plug instead of the 1/2" NPT plug, as that required a 3/4" drill bit that I didn't have, and I just didn't feel comfortable drilling such a big hole into the case. I got a magnetic plug for the bottom, and replaced the fill plug with the magnetic plug that came with the kit.

I used the trick of freezing the input shaft and heating the new input bearing to about 350. You were right, the bearing just slipped right over the input shaft. I was worried about any lube in the bearing getting cooked at that temperature, but it still felt smooth afterward.

Before closing it up, I squirted lube into every tooth and cranny while rotating the input shaft, and shifted through all the gears to make sure they all worked. I guess before driving it, I should let the engine idle it in neutral for a while to really get the lube distributed.

The shift rails showed some signs of distress, like maybe someone fought with the interlock, or maybe someone working on it before mixed up the lock plugs with the detente plugs (they are slightly different sized). So now, with either the reverse or 3/4 engaged, it is possible to move the 1/2 shift fork just a little, though not enough to engage the gears. Hopefully it won't cause any problems.

I managed to install it back into the car tonight, but won't be able to finish it up until next week. One question remains: Is there supposed to be some kind of sealant for the front of the counter shaft?

 

No problem installing a smaller plug. Just take a little longer to drain, if and when you do. (might not be in your lifetime I don't recall what I did to seal the countershaft ? Should have been something on the instructions for that question I'd think. You could always apply a little sealer on the part of the shaft that's in the case wall. As for getting lube everywhere, I applied moly grease to all the teeth after assembly and used that to assemble the counter shaft needle bearings too. It's a wonder those get lube at all, but they do. I bought a Toploader that had sat under an oak tree for years without it's top cover. Damned thing was full of leaves and trash. But when I took it apart, those counter shaft needle bearings were greasy and looked like new.

 

Have you driven it yet ? Just wonderin how it turned out.

 

Just about to take it out today. Also had exhaust and wiring problems to deal with.

 

A short drive has shown that the original problem I had, not being able to shift into first without jamming on the brakes, has been fixed. I guess the old blocker ring was worn out, at least for first gear. In addition, I was able to row through all the gears, including reverse, with no problems, so I didn't screw anything up. I'll drive for about 500 miles and change out the oil.

Looks like at least one of the leaks is fixed; it was the 3-4 shift shaft, which I can see from underneath. It may be too early to see if the leak at the front of the case is fixed, so I'll check again later.

I did find the tag on it, which showed "RUG E3", made for Mustangs of that era. So it probably came with the car. The only thing sketchy I found on it was the 3/4 synchronizer body. It looks like at some point in the past, the spring on the 4th gear side that held the strut keys in place in the synchro body got munched up, leaving a lot of scratch marks in that cavity. But it doesn't look like it damaged anything important, and shifting in and out of 4th gear seems smooth enough.

 

After driving the car with the rebuilt trans for a couple of years, I did notice an annoyance. Every once in a while, the 1-2 shift would grind. At first I thought maybe I didn't push the clutch in far enough during fast shifts, but it seems to happen randomly even if I pushed the clutch pedal to the floor.

I recently read about the differences between GL-4 and GL-5 lubes, and the information suggested that old manual transmissions should be using GL-4. Well, when I put my transmission back together, I used what was available at my local auto parts store, and that turned out to be GL-5. Similarly, I think I also used GL-5 in my previous oil change, which was the first time I started to notice the hard shifts into first. And even after the rebuild, first gear was still a little hard to get into, though not as hard as before.

So I had to search for GL-4, and found a couple of sources on Amazon. I got some Valvoline gear lube specific for manual transmissions, though it did not state specifically GL-4. But with the new lube installed, downshifting to first gear while in motion seems a lot easier and smoother. And after driving with the new lube for a couple months, I have not had a 1-2 grind or clash. I'm thinking the stuff is working.

 

They also like the thick stuff, like 90-140. Mine's hard to shift when cold but gets better as the gear lube warms up. Stuff's so thick, it'll move the car in neutral when cold.