Assembling a LEEN J160

[oldeskewltoy]

oldeskewltoy Wrote:more to come........

We did do one additional thing last week... we "fondled" :eek: the parts some and did a first fit...



Jesse came back today, we had finished disassembly, so we proceded on to re-assembly.

The J160 is designed to be disassembled from the tailhousing forward - first the tailhousing, then the middle section, and finally the bell end. What we are trying to do is to just work the bell end of the problem, and leave the other 2 sections untouched - for those purchasing the shifter relocation, you will begin your disassembly at the tailhousing.

Leaving the tailhousing and center sections untouched gives us one problem to overcome...... How to hold the 5th gear lever in one place, so that it stays in that place until AFTER the box is closed, and the fulcrum bolt is fitted. (#5 above) LEEN suggests using thread....




Jesse tried the thread retention method



Do to the curved shape of the shift arm, having the thread hold in one place wasn't easy. To make a long story short... it didn't work for us. While Jesse was running the thread, I began working on a back-up plan. I went inside and picked up 2 very thin rubber bands, the kind used to hold a advert flyer(newsprint type) together. The thickness of the rubber bands were about 1mm, they were about an inch in diameter. We used one around each end - this held everything in the right place for the fulcrum bolt to slip into position once the case was closed



Yes - the 2 rubber bands remain inside the gear box. I fully expect the petroleum based lubricants to soften the rubber and make the leaving behind of 2 rubber bands a non event.


So with the key problem resolved, we proceded with the re-assembly



The 2 shafts are drawn a bit forward so that the snap rings can be fitted.

Once the snap rings were fitted, the reverse idler retention bolt (4a in previous posted diagram) is fitted. The original bolt is just a touch to large, I supplied another Allen head bolt and used it to secure the reverse gear idler shaft



Once the adapter was installed, the seal plate was added. Here we are applying the sealant, and the previously removed seal, is now securely installed in the seal plate.
The one area outside the main sealing area is a hole allowing the shift rods full range of motion, we sealed all around it so there would not be any leaks.



If you look carefully you'll note we used a little anti-seize under the flatheads to allow a more accurate torque value, it also should minimize oxidation that might lock in a bolt.

And here we have one LEEN J160.... without the shortened shifter location


Those with sharp eyes will see I'm using an SR5 bellhousing... since my clutch is on the left side