Howdy, on verge of wrapping up a "budget resto" on a '68 sprite and about to try and start'er for first time in ~5 years (last registered/plated in 1980). The Tranny has always had an apparent/asumed "small" leak with the ever present drop hanging off of the lowest rib, but it didn't appear to be "too" bad and the puddle hadn't been growing by much where it's been hibernating the last couple of years. Anyway, I finally got around to checking the Tranny fluid and was going to "top off" the fluid and discovered that it was dry... so... 1-1/3 quarts (Cast 20w/Fiddy) later and I figured I was hooked up for a while. THIS morning I suspect about a third of that is now on the garage floor and this is well beyond "marking it's spot". The principle leak seems to be from the bottom edge/seam of the roughly rectangular, 8"x5"ish, round cornered, plate that's on the passenger side of the tranny and secured with 3/8" nuts on studs. It appears to only have had a (sloppy) bead of gasket-maker as a gasket...
Question: Is it possible to drain the fluid and remove/replace this plate while it's still in the car to re-new w/a correct gasket or will a bunch of springs and scary bits come/fall out with it upon removal? TIA!
Edward G