MASTER REBUILD KIT ON SPICER 18 TRANSFER CASE

Anyone who followed our trip for the 2007 Ultimate Road Trip knows how much time, effort, and Lucas Oil we used in hopes of completing our road trip. Before hitting the road for the 2008 trip we wanted to rebuild the whole t-case in order to check out the condition of the internal parts and to stop as much of the leaking as we can. 

We decided to use what we felt would be the most complete kit from a company that specialized in such rebuilds. What we found and decided was the best company for our needs was Novak Inc out of Logan, Utah. After talking with the folks there we knew they had what we needed and our shipment of parts went out right away. The following pictures and instructions will walk you through the rebuild of our Spicer 18. 

Since our Willys sits in one of our storage shops we decided to pull the t-case out of it and leave the Willys where it is stored out of the way. Novak’s master kit came with all of the gaskets, bearings, seals, and parts we would need to complete the job as well as a set of very detailed instructions for the rebuild.  

First we chalked the wheels and lifted the Willys up so we could get it on jack stands to give us a little more room to work underneath the vehicle. Safety should always be your first concern, make sure the vehicle is not going to move while you are raising it by chalking the wheels. Once it was on the jack stands we made sure it was stable before we went underneath to start the removal of the t-case.  

We started by removing the rear driveshaft and you will see in the pictures that I marked one of the corners as I was pulling the driveline off. I simply like to mark things in accordance of how they came apart so I can assure that they will go back in the very same location and position. I also (and I have stated this before) put the nuts and bolts back the spot they came out of instead of throwing them all in a bucket and trying to sort them out later. 

Next I wanted to get the skid plate out of the way so I would have a little more room to move and access the rest of what I needed to take apart. 

With the skid plate out of the way I have a little more room to disconnect the front driveshaft.

Now that the skid plate is out of the way I am going to remove the front drive shaft to help me access the one retaining bolt that is on the front of the transfer case to transmission by the front drive shaft yoke and of course to be able to remove the t-case.  

Now that I have removed both drive shafts I put them off to the side with the skid plate. 

Next I am going to start removing the other items that are connected to the t-case that will need to be unhooked or removed before I can separate the Spicer from the transmission, like the speedometer cable, the bolt that holds the t-case onto the cross member, as well as the shaft that holds and controls the linkage which is bolted into the transfer case on the drivers side and has to be unscrewed. You can disassemble the linkage bar and take the whole thing out but I chose to just disconnect it from the case and kept the linkage hooked up to make the reinstall easier (you’ll see in the pics that I did unhook one of the linkage rods temporarily). At the same time I pulled the  floor cover off of the twin sticks since they will have to be removed before I can pull the t-case out. 

With the cover pulled I released the spring that keeps the shifters from rattling and loosened the screw that keeps the shaft that holds the shifter handles in place. It is easier to access this screw from the top and when it is loosened the shaft can be removed, it also is easier to access to shaft from the top, I removed the plate above the transmission to allow me the room needed to push the rod from the inside out. 

On the passenger side of the floor board you will see another cover that can be removed to allow a little more room to slip this shaft out. After removing the cover I was able to reach the shaft and pull it far enough out that I could remove the shift handles. Once they were out I installed the shaft and set screw back into place so I wouldn’t loose them. 

Next the shifters for the PTO that controls our winch needed to be removed, after the cover is removed there are 4 screws on the top that need to be removed. Once the 4 screws are out the shifter assembly simply lifts up and out off of the top of the PTO. 

Since I am done in the body I went ahead and put the shifter covers back in place to once again help me keep track of what goes where when it comes time to reinstall the components. While I was at it I went ahead and drained the fluid from the Spicer 18.

The PTO needs to be removed in order to access the nut that holds the Spicer and the transmission together. There are 5 bolts that either holds a cover in place where the PTO mounts or the PTO will be attached and in need of removal. There are also overdrives that mount in that spot and may need removed in order to access the nut. If there is a PTO the allen set screw will need to be loosened so the front shaft that controls the winch will be able to come apart from the PTO when it is separated from the transmission. 

If you have a long enough allen wrench you can access the bolts through the holes when the caps are removed from the PTO.  I didn’t have a set of allen wrenches long enough so I had to pull the PTO apart in order to access the bolts to remove them, therefore I drained the oil. Once the bolts are removed the PTO simply slides off by pulling it towards the rear of the vehicle. If it is sticky you can GENTLY pry it to break it loose from the t-case. 

Once the PTO is removed you will see inside the Spicer that there is a nut that holds the assembly onto the output shaft of the transmission, it will either be a Nylock® nut or a nut with a Cotter Pin through it. The Nylock needs a 1 ¼” socket and the castle nut will need a 1 5/16” socket to remove. 

Next the 5 bolts that hold the Spicer to the transmission will need to be removed; there are four on the back side and one next to the front yoke. The transmission will need to be drained as well so that when the 5 bolts are removed you don’t wind up with a big puddle of oil on the floor. 

Now they are ready to be separated; removal is simply done by pulling the Spicer towards the back of the vehicle, this is a good time to have an extra set of hands if at all possible, the Spicer isn’t overly heavy but it can be a little awkward trying to get it out and on the ground. Now we are ready to start the rebuild on our Spicer 18 using Novak's Mater Rebuild Kit.