Vise for holding bus transaxle during rebuild???

[Casting Timmy]

I got my new Hot VWs and saw the ring and pinion replacement article in it showing Rancho holding the bus transaxle ain housing in a vise during the rebuild. I know there has to be some non factory style options for helping out when rebuilding a bus transaxle.

Asking as later this summer a friend wants to fix his bus transaxle and just trying to get stuff ready for that?

[gkeeton]

The factory cradle was a large band clamp that went around the case, then had a latch with a thumb screw to tighten it down. I like the large vise idea better. Just don't get too carried away tightening the vise. I searched for a few years to find a vise that would open wide enough to clamp an 091.

[Piledriver]

I could see welding a nice big tab or three on something much like the factory band clamp and sticking it in a decent sized but "normal" vice, allowing various orientations and rotation etc.

Or drill/tap some holes in the vice or a HD work stand and bolt it on in various orientations.

[gkeeton]

That fixture was one of a few different pieces that went together to go onto a stand kind of what most would use for engine assembly/disassembly. If you do decide to use a clamp of some sort instead of a vise only, make it out of some serious stuff. That one went around the area of the case where the fill plug is at, so you could access the diff area. There is a lot of unbalanced cantilevered weight in that position, and you need to have something stout enough to hold the trans while adjusting the diff preload/backlash, and torquing the pinion nut.

[jsturtlebuggy]

This is what I made may years ago to hold a Bus trans in the engine stands I have. I use the material I had laying around. Yes it could use some improvement, but has worked well for may trans rebuilds over the years. And it is strong enough to hold trans while torqueing the pinion bearing.

[Dougy Dee]

I must be missing something here. I thought about building a holder similar to the Matra unit but didn't see the benefit.

Other than for tightening or loosening the big nut, why is this needed?

Most of the big pinion nuts are pretty loose and come free with a low torque (cordless battery powered) impact gun. Tightening by clamping the case to the table and buzzing it with the good impact gun or torque wrench works.

[gkeeton]

A Type 1 trans is bolted at the bell housing, and has something to hold the trans while torquing the pinion bearing nut. With the Type 2, there's nothing really to clamp, or hold onto without a bell housing, or nosecone. I have done the torquing with the case vise gripped to the table at the bottom of the diff area, and was luckey enough not to be the one that caught the trans at their knees between the table top, and floor when the vise grip popped off. The impact gun I have will torque an axle nut to 500 ft lbs. After my first attempt at zipping things together with the impact gun, the trans wouldn't turn over. Call me old fashion, but I still do the torque, loosen, and retorque with a torque wrench. Once you have to remove the diff adjuster screws with a 3 ft breaker bar, and a propane torch, I would think you'll wish you had something more secure than a clamp on the table. It really boils down to personal preference. I started using a large vise, and all the other methods are more awkward for me.

[jsturtlebuggy]

I like using it because I can turn case up to work with the differential area, setting backlash, etc...
Also I can turn the other way to install the shift relay and not worry about the early pin falling out of place before shift housing. Working with the trans on a bench bending over cause back pain issues for me.

[Pablo2]

... With the Type 2, there's nothing really to clamp, or hold onto without a bell housing, or nosecone ...

This simple bar makes pinion nut torquing an easy job:
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1171588.jpg

[gkeeton]

Yeah, I've used the old axle nut/flywheel angle iron in a pinch as well. I prefer the torque wrench through the diff adjuster hole without an extension.

[Casting Timmy]

Thanks for all the great comments, I might make myself something to hold as I likethe idea of it being secure to do measurements.

[jsturtlebuggy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc7gciOnB44
Here is a bench stand that Ron is using to assemble a HV2 trans. Yes the HV2 has mounting studs on the top of case that are you to hold it to stand. It is at a good height for working on.
Just wanted to show another way to hold trans to work on.