Paintin tranny bellhousing

[82phoenix]

Hey guys,

I gotta replace my clutch soon, and I have a spare tranny, so was gonna paint the bellhousing for the heck of it. Kinda wanted to do it body color (terracotta), but tranny's get hot, so anyway to match the paint with high heat or some additive that makes reg paint able to take heat.

Sorry I dont' know much about paint, any input welcome, whether nay or yay.Thanx

Forgot to say, I'm going with an ACT Stage 1 clutch. Any tips for replacing my clutch, this is the first time for me on this car. I'm gonna see if the machine shop can lighten the flywheel a little while they resurface it (like just cleaning it up shaving a little rough cast off)

[Funkycheeze]

how about, never paint a structural aluminum casting

8-)

[82phoenix]

Not being an ass, but is this just opinion, or is this that bad of an idea?

[rsdeo]

It is a matter of taste. Everyone is different.

Being aluminum, both the tranny and bellhousing would look sweet polished and clear coated.

[MK2Racer]

I say paint it if you want, nobody is really going to see it, and it'd be a bit of work to get all the grease and grime off. Personal opinion, I wouldn't but it is your car.

As far as getting the clutch replaced:

Unplug battery
Remove shifter
Raise car
Drain fluid
Disconnect clutch slave/reverse switch/starter
Disconnect speedo
Remove driveshaft
Remove starter
Remove bellhousing bolts
Remove crossmember (support trnasmission)
Lower and remove tranny

Unbolt old clutch (6 bolts)
Dont drop it on yourself, that hurts
Remove flywheel and have it surfaced if need be

Install is basically reverse of removal, but to offer a few tips:

Get a ratcheting box end wrench for doing the starter and top bellhousing bolts, it helps tremendously.

Get the clutch alignment tool, it makes the job much easier.
Dont forget to tighten the clutch in the right pattern.

MOST DEFINITELY use locktite on the flywheel and clutch bolts, otherwise they are likely to come off causing all sort of bad things to happen. BTDT.

Quickest way to get tranny on/off (my personal method):
jack the car up nice and high, get under there with a rolling "creeper" Basically 'bear hug' the tranny and pull it off, it only weighs maybe 80 pounds. Roll out from under the car with it on you. NOTICE: Do not hurt yourself, I am not responsible for it!!! Install is the same, put it on top of you, roll under, do a push up and it will slide right on. That way you can easily maneuver it up/down left/right in/out very easily. Works like a charm. It is a pain in the ass to try and jiggle it around when balancing on a jack, make installation time tripled.

Now would be an excelent time to replace:
Shift bushing (see thread in drivetrain on the heavy duty, they are great)
Rear seal on tranny
Throwout bearing
Pilot bearing

Aside from all that, it's really a pretty easy job. After doing it several times, I can have one off and changed and back on in a few hours by myself; even less with a competent friend to help. If you need anything else, PM me, I've done this many times. GOOD LUCK!

[CELICA XX]

It is a matter of taste. Everyone is different.

Being aluminum, both the tranny and bellhousing would look sweet polished and clear coated.
Yeah, I have seen transmissions from Datsun Z's that look really good, cleaned up and pressure washed. Without paint.

You might like the stock, "clean" look.

[82phoenix]

Thanx guys...
I actually was thinking about polishing the housing, one of the options, or just cleaning down and painting with Alumablast or similar cast finish paint.

The ACT Clutch comes with throwout bearing, pilot bearing, and alignment tool.

I was going to replace the rear main seal at the same time, now i"ll do the rear seal on the tranny as well as the shifter bushing.

The only reason I'm thinking of polishing or painting, is because I have a spare tranny and can do the work ahead of time on the bellhousing, waiting for the clutch to come.

[85 rat rod]

i would say, clean up the spare bellhousing, (cuz your going to need a clean surface for the paint to adhere to) if you like the clean aluminum look, than work no further, if you would still like to see some paint, than proceed. (problem solved...)