PDA

View Full Version : I got my OBX today!!!



The S is Silent
02-21-2006, 06:51 PM
My OBX diff came in the mail today. Now I have everything I need to put my hybrid trans together. I went to the dealership here in town and ordered bearings, and asked about ring gear bolts...and they were $3.25 each!!! Can I just re-use the bolts that are in my a520 diff, or should they not be re-used?

Also, what exactly do I have to do to install the diff into the transmission? How do I know what shims to order? Do I just need to shim one bearing, or should I shim both bearings? I have FSM's on the way, but I'm wondering about these things now. What procedure do you follow for checking pre-load? Do I put a shim, put the bearing on, an if the pre-load is bad, remove the bearing and repeat the whole process?

Wow, I'm full of questions. I was going to start asking about installing the main shaft, but we'll save that for later. Actually, no, we'll do those here too. Do I need to get any kind of bearings for the main shaft? Can I just use the bearings and stuff that are on my a555 shaft?

2.216VTurbo
02-21-2006, 08:31 PM
Yep, you're gonna need the FSM and a few hundred dollars worth of Miller Special Tools if you plan on doing everything yourself. Be warned though, if you are replacing every bearing and race, it takes like 20+hours to build a trans. Yeah, I know we'll get a bunch of guys who will say they can do it in five...

I reused my bolts-but the FSM forbids it:( What did they call them, "epoxy patch bolts" or something to that effect. Of course it says to never reuse ball joint bolts and dozens of other fastners on our cars:p

You just shim one side, the side with the steel plate not the aluminum stub shaft housing side. And yep you have to set it up with the new race, then mock it up,measure the end play and the turning torque and pull the race again to adjust the shim. The OBX seems to be a bit shorter than Quaifes. it took a lot more shim then any of the 568/Quaifes I've worked with. I ended up stacking two shims to get enough height.

I've never reused the bearings from the previous trans but I suppose you could, that's a guess though. Wait, the 555 shaft takes a different end bearing cuase the shaft is like the 'race' the 523/568 has a 'race' that presses on because that nose cone bearing is larger. Unless there is a hybrid set up that I don't know about, not saying I know ;) even half of what Cliff R. does

The S is Silent
02-21-2006, 09:16 PM
Yep, you're gonna need the FSM and a few hundred dollars worth of Miller Special Tools if you plan on doing everything yourself. Be warned though, if you are replacing every bearing and race, it takes like 20+hours to build a trans. Yeah, I know we'll get a bunch of guys who will say they can do it in five...

I don't need to rebuild the transmission...it has 0 miles on a fresh re-build from Cliff. I'm hoping I can just pull the a555 mainshaft, and put the a520 shaft in. Can I do that, or am I going to have to re-check tolerances?

Frank
02-22-2006, 08:46 AM
You should be ok because the tolerances and alignment are how the bearing sits in the case... I would think. :)

TurboGLH
02-22-2006, 10:43 AM
I don't need to rebuild the transmission...it has 0 miles on a fresh re-build from Cliff. I'm hoping I can just pull the a555 mainshaft, and put the a520 shaft in. Can I do that, or am I going to have to re-check tolerances?

The mainshaft has set bearing positions, so that's ok. The inputshaft should be ok, as long as your carefull not to move the races, one in the case, one in the end plate. Pulling the gearset apart will require you to pull a press fit bearing from the end of the mainshaft, be carefull when you do so. The bearing used is only available from the dealer and is you damage it you will have to order a new one. When pulling the gearset apart make sure you use the FSM, it's easy to forget the anti-spin pins when putting it back together, and that would be bad. The 1/2 and 3/4 synchros can be different (different color shift fork pads are different sizes) and can be a bit of a pain to get back to gether if you don't know the right trick, so don't mix them up and try to keep them assembled when you pull them off. You might be able to ge the bearings off the diff, but I wouldn't. But a new pair and install them. When you pull the old races, under the race thats located in teh steel housing, there's a shim. That shim sets diff preload and your going to require a new one to use with the obx, no you most likely won't be able to reuse that shim so if you know a local source (trans rebuild shop) you would be better going there, because you won't know what size you need till the diff is in and you check the preload.

Thats about all I can think of, but I'm sure there are a couple more things that you need to watch out for. If this is your first trans, take your time, read the manual first, and make sure you feel comfortable before you start taking it apart.

p.s I can do it in way under 5 hours.

Frank
02-22-2006, 11:14 AM
p.s I can do it in way under 5 hours.

That doesnt suprise me.... what kind of son would you be! ;)

The S is Silent
02-22-2006, 11:18 AM
Thanks Chris. Is all this outlined really well in the FSM? I ordered it, but don't have it yet, so I'm not sure what is in it. As for the input shaft and not moving the races...if I'm changing the bearing support plate (I assume that is the end plate you are talking about) in favor of a chro-moly plate, what do I do about the race?

I already ordered new diff bearings, because I figured I'd damage the old ones pulling them and would end up buying new ones anyways. I am going to reuse the old ring gear bolts though.

I think I can do this...but, like you said, it's my first so I'm worried about messing something up. Would I be better off taking it somewhere to get this done?

TurboGLH
02-22-2006, 11:54 AM
Thanks Chris. Is all this outlined really well in the FSM? I ordered it, but don't have it yet, so I'm not sure what is in it. As for the input shaft and not moving the races...if I'm changing the bearing support plate (I assume that is the end plate you are talking about) in favor of a chro-moly plate, what do I do about the race?

I already ordered new diff bearings, because I figured I'd damage the old ones pulling them and would end up buying new ones anyways. I am going to reuse the old ring gear bolts though.

I think I can do this...but, like you said, it's my first so I'm worried about messing something up. Would I be better off taking it somewhere to get this done?

It's all broken down in the FSM. Hell, I still use it on occasion if it's been a while since I put one together. The end plate I'm talking about is the aluminum one that sits under the suport plate, so using a moly plate shouldn't affect your bearing preload.

As far as the ring gear bolts go, I've reused them before with no ill effects. The manual says to replace them, but they're not a stretch to yeild bolt, so they don't incur stretch damage just by installing them.

If your unsure, read the manual through a couple of times, make sure you udnerstand just how far you have to dig. Your basicly rebuilding this trans, it has to come all the way apart and you have to disasseble the gearset. So the only thing that would be left in a full rebuild would be the cleaning and painting. I don't know where to tell you to take it, I wouldn't trust any local trans shop, chances are slim that they've ever even seen a td trans before, but shipping it back and paying to have the diff installed can be expensive.

TurboGLH
02-22-2006, 11:55 AM
That doesnt suprise me.... what kind of son would you be! ;)

A bad one? Hey if your gonna work for the master you better get your ---- in order.

The S is Silent
02-22-2006, 12:02 PM
Chris, how much would you or your dad charge to build me a hybrid and install the diff if I send you the OBX and the mainshaft? I figure I can get $5-6 hundred for this a555 if I can find a buyer for it locally. Total cost for an a555 core, labor for a full rebuild, and shipping down to SC?

TurboGLH
02-22-2006, 12:22 PM
Chris, how much would you or your dad charge to build me a hybrid and install the diff if I send you the OBX and the mainshaft? I figure I can get $5-6 hundred for this a555 if I can find a buyer for it locally. Total cost for an a555 core, labor for a full rebuild, and shipping down to SC?

Since I do all my work in his shop, I don't build trans to sell. It seems kind of rude to use his shop to take away business that could potentialy be his :). But I'll talk to him today about how much for a 520/555 with your diff. It would probably end up being cheaper to ship up you existing trans with the 520 mainshaft and the obx since using a different trans would require all new bearings, shift for pads as well as the labor to break down, clean and paint. But I'll have to check.

TurboGLH
02-22-2006, 04:23 PM
OK, talked to my dad and he agrees that shipping your current trans will be the cheapest route to begin with, in addition to the fact that he has no 555 cores that aren't accounted for. He wanted me to ask if you have the 520 mainshaft and ring gear and he also asked for you to email him so you can get things set up.

The S is Silent
02-22-2006, 04:32 PM
Thanks Chris, I appreciate it.

I sent him a PM because the e-mail server at school is going rediculously slow.