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1966 Thunderbird Repair Front Seal Transmission Question

Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 4:27 pm
by 66QBird
Hey all. I have a 1966 thunderbird with a 428 backed by a C6. Problem is, the front seal is increasingly leaking on my garage floor. Anyone have experience replacing the front seal on a C6 transmission? Wondering how big a job this is for a home mechanic. Also, if someone has paid to have it done, how much was it? Thanks.

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 2:30 am
by edpol
Simple. Jack the car nice and high and pull the tranny out. Then remove the converter so you could get to the seal, pull the old seal out, pop the new one in, and reverse the process for reinstalling the tranny. Or you could remove the engine, and while you're at it, detail your engine bay.
For something like that, if you don't have a lot of experience handling heavy stuff, and don't have help, it may be better to take it to a shop. Doing that job on the ground, you'll want to rent a tranny dolly, of get one of the attachments that mount on a floor jack. If you're on dirt or blacktop, you'll also want something for the dolly to easily roll on, like a piece of sheet steel, or even 3/4" plywood topped with formica.
On blacktop, I used some tempered masonite under the wheels of the hoist when I took my engine out recently. Three 2x4 sheets did the trick, and the hoist rolled just fine. It so happened that I needed to remove the engine, so while it's out, I'll replace the tranny seal. Personally, I'd rather remove the engine than the tranny. Without a lift, I find it easier.

Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2010 7:59 pm
by 66QBird
Thanks edpol--I have pulled the trans to replace a clutch on a 64 galaxie. I did that on the floor of my garage. The car and I survived. I'll probably try doing it myself for this car as well. If it takes me 6 months to do it, at least I can say I did it myself. I was asking because I was hoping there aren't a bunch of fancy tools needed once the torque converter is off. The way you describe it "pop the seal out and pop another in" makes it sound pretty straight forward.