SM465 install.....How I did it alone

[saxart]

Just wanted to share how I put the SM465 trans back in the truck myself today. Hopefully this thread helps someone in the future. The back story is that I had a buddy over yesterday. He and I, with the help of a floor jack and a pair of jackstands, tried 3 times to get the transmission in, but nearly dropped it on our heads and our fingers all three times. I don't own a transmission jack, and didn't want to pay someone else to put it in, so it was time to get crafty with the welder. (If you don't own a welder, gather up the pieces and ask a local muffler shop to hook you up with the juice box)

First step was to remove the "saddle" from your floor-jack. On mine it just pulls out.



Next, find a cheap socket from your local home improvement store that is the same width and length as the stub on your floor-jack saddle. (The one I found cost a whole $2.25) Once you've located a matching "stub", weld it to the bottom of a plate of steel. (Please don't judge my welds, this is supposed to be a helpful thread, and "hate" just wrecks the mood. LOL)





Next you're going to remove the two side plates that are on the transmission and weld some "legs" on top of the jack plate you just created. These legs need to bolt to the holes in the transmission case from the two side plates. I happened to have some bar-stock that had slots in it that just happened to work for the holes that line up with the bolt-holes on the trans case. (I got lucky...)



You'll get the angles right if you bolt the "legs" to the transmission, then weld them to the plate.

Here's the finished set up:





The resulting set up is so sturdy that I was able to raise up the transmission and drag it around the garage like a kids wagon in that raised position.



(Excuse the mess in the background, it had just started raining and I had to drag a bunch of stuff in from the rain.)

One caveat is that you'll need to get the truck up pretty high to get this set up under the truck, then lower the truck back down once you get past the frame rail. I have the front clip off this truck, so I was able to sneak it in right behind the front wheel where the frame rail rises up over the front suspension. Even then the truck was pushed up about as high as a floor jack would take it.

Good luck everyone...

[clay68c10]

Slick!
I've always liked simple solutions like that, and cheap too.

[kwmech]

Cool! Those beasts are heavy. I only bench pressed one of those in once. Great minds think alike. I did something similar years ago before I bought a transmission jack. I didn't break the seal on the pto covers and I only used the top hole. ( I was in a hurry)

[treveiger]

Those things are heavy. How we reinstalled mine was I built something like yours for a jack, had one guy in the truck and one guy under the truck with the jack. Took a while but in the end we got it.

[Husker]

Very Slick, Thanks for sharing
Ron

[D.PASSMORE]

Sexart, thank you! I have been mulling over how to get that beast back in the C30. I have the plate setup, never thought about the slotted channel to hold it in place.

[tkeduk8r]

IF you can't get the truck up that high, I usually use my cherry picker, take the high hump out out of the cab, and lift it into place from the top.... but takes a while to remove seat, carpet and hump... good idea!!!
Mike

[midniteblues]

Thats a pretty slick set up. Like the idea that it actually bolts to the trans.

I have used a trans jack that is used for big trucks when we pulled the trans out of his granite and that one had chains that wrapped around the trans to secure it.

I havent been able to get any vehicle high enough with my floor jack and the taller hf jack stands to actually roll my trans jack loaded with a tranny under it mine is just a wimpy sissors lift type trans jack.
What a pita too get a auto tranny on the jack under the vehicle while laying on your back.

I remember a thread a while ago that a fella pulled his high hump and im pretty sure he spanned a few 2x4's across his opened windows and hand winched it up through the hump.


Good job on over coming a hurdle so simply.

[Devil Pup]

nice set up. I had to do this once in my 69. ended up having to take the center hump out while my brother curled the trans into place. this sure would have saved us some energy

[70 shorty]

they say necessity is the mother of invention, and you proved it. Very slick!