New clutch?

[timspider]

Next in what is apparently going to be a long line of stupid questions.
what is the trick and tools needed to get that flexible joint off?
I made yet another trip to harbor freight so I have a 5 inch hose clamp tightened on to it.
I have all the crud off it. I got a socket on one nut and loosened it. The thing turns a little and locks so I can't access the other nuts. Or I'm I going to need a 16 m box end for this?
More wobblers or flex joints or extensions or magnatized sockets or kryptonite infused breaker bars?
I'm regretting listening to those that said this was easy on a couple ramps.
update for novices: it's not easy. You don't have what you need for this. Might as well go in wide eyed.

[azruss]

short ramps makes it very tight quarters. May want to put jack stands under the front jack points to give yourself some room. When I removed the tranny, i disconnect the drive line at the diff, drop the center pillow block and slide the driveline splines out of the guibo assembly and leave the guibo alone.
There are 2 issues with the throwout bearing fork. First is in locating on the ball as discussed already. The other is the pivot point located with pins at the hole in the fork. I've had forks that develop a stress crack at this location allowing the fork to bend when force is put on it. The cable end moves like it is supposed to, but the fork bends in the middle instead of engaging the clutch. Unfortunately you have to pull the tranny to replace it. Also, it helps to remove the back tranny mount and jack the front of the motor to allow the back of the tranny to drop and give you more working room.

[aj81spider]

To get the flex joint off you don't need a compressor. Put the rear on jack stands and put the car in neutral. That way you can spin the driveshaft so each bolt is accessible in turn. Take the nut off and the bolt should push out (perhaps with a little encouragement). Without rotating the driveshaft you probably can't get to all the nuts and you definitely can't get the bolts out.

I laid under my car for a half hour trying to get to the bolts before it occurred to me to rotate the shaft.

[timspider]

cool, both of those comments made sense to me. The way I have the front now, I'm not confident lifting the rear, so I have to figure that out, unless I just go with option number 1 above.
I'm already doing the math to get this flatbedded to someone who knows what the heck they are doing.
Console out, shifter plate out, shifter extension off, starter off(zero confidence I could ever get that back in), speedo and wires off, tranny drained, tons of crud removed.
Lost summer dealing with this on limited budget.
I really do appreciate all the help, just beyond aggravated at this point. Need to just step away and revisit this some other time.

[76was124]

Taking a break is not a bad idea....I've done that many times. That being said, I bet you can do it and it will save you allot of money in addition to giving you a great feeling of accomplishment. Trust me, I never restored a car or replaced a transmission before,and now that I have, I feel like a Fiat pro!!

Top starter bolt is one of the toughest things. If you can get that done, you can get through the rest.

The guibo removal is not difficult, but it does takes some tinkering, and rear end jacked up makes it easier.

There's a bunch of us on the forum willing to help., so don't give up!

[fredguaz]

Tim,
I was able to get that top starter bolt off from the top using a box wrench. You get very limited movement, like maybe 1/16 of a turn. Took me about 25 minutes for that one bolt. It's a good exercise in what I think you might be needing. Patience.
Overcoming these challenges are very rewarding. Pain in the butt sometimes, but rewarding in the end. Enjoy the process!
Hope this helps

[timspider]

starter is already off, and I can sure appreciate that using a box end on that top bolt would certainly be an exercise in both patience and maneuverability. I'm way past patience, used that up 3 months ago. Also have cycled through anger, fear, and depression. So I've got my emotional bases covered.
I need a lift. I've got long arms and I need the car farther off the ground, safely.
I've got the front wheels on blocks that are top of ramps, which is only ok if the rear wheels are tightly chocked, which they are.
Now with the rear end on the ground, I'm having a bear of a time getting situated to remove the drive shaft at the rear end.
Part of my issue is I really don't like working under this car without it being supported by something more than jack stands.
Although, depending on how the lift would work, that wouldn't solve me need to spin the back wheels for bolt access.
Everything I've replaced to this point (carb, alternator, radiator,heater core, headlight wiring,ignition, coil, plugswires, convertible top, carpet, fuel pump,mirrors, radio/speakers) could done from the top.
I need a better set up that I can fully trust that gets this thing off the ground further.
I've seen 4 post mini lifts.
Anyone have any experience with those or something similar?
Not that I have a budget for that right now, but it's on my list.

[seabeelt]

Tim, Alot of us have completely stripped a Spider on jack stands. Harbor Freight or whichever store you choose. Just make sure they are the 4 legged ones. Use the four jacking points of the car. You may need a small shim to overcomne the unibody lip, but it has been done many times. Once on the jack stands shake the car. Try to knock it off. Car should not move. This will give you some confidence in laying under the car. You dont need a lift. It does help to have a buddy ( even for conversation) but can be done single handed. Stay the course. You are almost there.

[aj81spider]

+1 on Michael's comment. I stripped a car on jack stands (Harbor Frieght 4 post). I'm also a little paranoid about being under it, so whenever I'm under the car I also leave the jack under either the cross member or the differential, depending which end I'm closer to. That way if the jack stands give way hopefully the jack will keep the car high enough for me to not take advantage of my life insurance. If whatever I'm doing involves the wheels being off I also slide them under the rotors to provide another level of catching.

You can jack under the jack points as described. In general I use the shock mounts in the front (the jack stand has a nice curve to catch the curve of the shock mounting point, and the axle in the back (again the curve catches the axle nicely). These just seem like sturdier points to me and the suspension isn't hanging, which is probably fine, but always seems wrong to me. I only use the jack points when I'm doing something that requires the suspension to hang (like changing the shocks).

[seabeelt]

I have done it both ways, but find the jacking points more reassuring as the suspension has some give to it. +1 on keeping a jack under some other point as insurance.

[76was124]

I'm having a bear of a time getting situated to remove the drive shaft at the rear end.

I've disconnected the driveshaft at the guibo with only the front end on ramps. Having the rear on jacks would make that much easier regarding access to all the nuts and bolts by wheel rotation.

Do you have all the bolts out yet? If so and you are having trouble pulling the driveshaft off the trans yoke/guibo, the driveshaft has a collar that slides back to give you clearance to separate it. If it doesn't appear to slide enough, it may be that the car needs to be level (both front and back at same height). It was something about the shaft angle changing making it effectively longer when the back end is lower vs. level (or maybe it was the other way around).

I agree about leaving the jack as a backup to the stands, I also have used the spare tire under one of the rear wheels too, which is easier to slide in and out as needed.

[timspider]

thanks again everyone. nope, don't have the rear bolts off, but the whole leveling issue is good to learn about. Iv'e resigned myself to taking the slow motion route. Everything has taken days lately. Just de-crudding this thing took me almost a week. Now it appears I've de-crudded some rust proofing right off the bottom.
Transmission needs attention now anyway, so even if I managed to figure all this out, it's not just a clutch job. Too much to do with too little on this to see any end in sight at this point. Maybe next year. Froze my butt off in the barn all last winter replacing what felt like everything on this damn thing so i could have a very frustrating summer dealing with it some more.
Need a new hobby and a reliable car. Cover on car and leaving forum for a bit- thanks again- need a long break from this.

[timspider]

update: decided to stop crying and just fix this thing. Viewing it as a resto with the major components left to do.
I built up the front blocks to hold the wheels solidly which allowed me to get the back up on my 4 point jack stands, which gave me the needed room to get under the rear and the ability to turn the shaft for easy bolt access.
drive shaft is now detached, but hanging on the brake mechanism which I will remove.
Getting closer to attacking those upper bolts on the bell housing and then the big rearward slide.

[azruss]

Most of us are do-it-yourselfers who have been down the same path you are on at a time when there was no web to help you out. We have also been down the emotional roller coaster you have experienced. Pulling the tranny is a rite of passage in the Fiat word. Hang in there, Tim, and soon you will have that "tranny" badge in your toolbox.

[aj81spider]

update: decided to stop crying and just fix this thing.

Yay!! I can tell you I've been where you are at (in fact I'm perilously close to there now), and sometimes you just have to take some time away.

In the end the pride in taking a good running car and spending hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars and turning it into a poorly running one makes it all worth while!

.....wait...that doesn't sound as good when you write it down....