Re:Spider center support bearing&bushing

["Phil Williams" <willamp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dave Partridge asks...

>Can I replace the center support assembly in my 76 Spider without 
removing
the whole driveshaft
from the car?

You might be able to but I think there would be a lot of cursing going 
on when your removing the center support bearing from the rear of the 
shaft after removing the rear yoke. It's very easy to remove the entire 
drive shaft and then work on the front shaft on the bench. The center 
support bearing is pressed on to the shaft with a friction fit.
You can remove and replace it with pullers and hammers but a shop press 
is nicer. 

 You can seperate the drive shaft in the middle and remove only the 
front half if you like, leaving the rear attatched to the differential. 
But I find it just as easy to remove the rear half of the shaft with the 
front. It sometimes depends on which set of bolts (middle or rear) will 
come off easiest. The rear of the rear shaft is simply a flange that is 
bolted to one just like it on the differential. They are seperated after 
removing 3 bolts (just like on the front of the rear shaft). 

 Remove the center brace near the center support. A couple of the six 
screws holding it in may require bending the exhaust heat shield a 
little for access.

 Removing the guibo from the transmission output shaft is an easy job. 
Just remove the transmission rear mounting plate and support the 
transmission with your favorite floor jack. Get a couple of hose clamps 
and put them together around the guibo tight enough to take the pressure 
off of the three bolts that come out of the tranmission yoke. Remove the 
three locknuts and the drive shaft and guibo will come right off. I 
usually measure the distance between empty bolt holes in the guibo to 
make sure the hose clamps are providing the correct alignment before 
putting the assembly back on the transmission yoke.
If the alignments right it will slide right back onto the bolts.

Don't forget to mark all of the joints you seperate to reassemble with 
the original orientation to maintain balancing.

Hope this helps

Phil Williams
3 spiders and a platinum

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

------------------------------