First
up the car was supported on axle stands. If you look closely at the left
hand picture then you'll see some rope binding the engine to the strut
brace. An axle stand was also placed under the sump. This is necessary
because two of the three engine mounts are attached to the gearbox. So the
engine needs supporting when the box is off.
The
far left image shows the input shaft. This slides out and then allows the
box to be separated from the clutch. The middle image shows how I managed it
(the thread is an exact match with the turret bolts on the gearbox, and the
end of the clutch cable). The right hand image shows the proper Vauxhall
tool for the job. The input shaft can sometimes be very hard to remove.
It's
a pretty uncomfortable experience changing a gearbox on a driveway.
As
long as the car is high enough then the box can be rolled out on a jack.
My
very own personal scrapyard. Most of the gearbox is actually the bell
housing for the clutch and flywheel. The actual part with the gears in is
pretty small. In the right hand image you can see the input shaft and the
clutch release bearing. When the clutch cable is pulled then it pushes this
bearing towards the clutch by means of lever. This is what causes the clutch
to disengage. It is worth changing this if the clutch is being replaced. As
it wears it becomes noisy.