"I do things like this to see if I can" That statement alone defines you, your work ethic and your personality. This is the main reason why I love this channel so much. I never miss a chance to Watch Wes Work............................

Don't ever apologize for what you can and can't do Wes . Remember, you have a business first and a channel second . If push comes to shove your business pays your bills. The channel helps

Inreasingly, this is becoming my favourite channel. Exceptional mechanic with a teacher's perspective on explaining his proicess, who has a sense of humour, and excellent variety in his content. Love it.

One of the last points Wes makes at the end is dead on... getting that deep into this trans makes little economic sense... but thank God Wes isn't a dollars and cents only sort of guy. There is a certain beauty and elegance in this kind of work we can only see when we find someone who does the work for more than just a dollar. As far as I am concerned "Watching Wes Work" is better than just about any prime time network production I have ever seen. I wouldn't be surprised to see a him in his own new DIY network show one day.

Action list for a Wes video; 1. get libation of choice 2. open video 3. click Like button immediately 4. sit back and enjoy One part, two part, trilogy, tetralogy, pentalogy, hexalogy, and so on, it don't matter, Wes has The Best content on YT!!! Keep 'em coming Wes!

“Been on the shelf since the Reagan administration”. Lol! I sub’ed to this channel to learn, but found Wes’s sarcastic humor is a major added bonus! You rock Wes.

I just discovered your channel and I freaking love the fact that you’re not afraid to fumble and bumble your way through a mechanical job in full view of the public. I fully relate to the head scratching, two steps forward one step back process of repairing an unfamiliar machine. Thank you for allowing us to peer over your shoulder while you work!

Appreciate all you do and all the work that goes into bringing us along. No need to apologize for fighting with render times, upload times; all that junk. Thanks for all the time you invest to bring us content; don't think any of us could afford it if it wasn't free.

Youre a brave man tackling that nightmare of a transmission with little experience with them, makes me feel bad about not attempting a rebuild on my T56 lol. Great vid as usual.

A challenge invariably comes at a cost but the reward of success is priceless! Hats off to you, great job.

“Donkey-powered internet.” Lol. Wes, you kill me. Keep up the great work. I rebuilt the 6-speed trans in my Fiesta ST a couple years ago. It turned out to be the input shaft bearing as well. I had never done a trans before but as painful as the process was (I had to pull it twice because I missed the problem bearing the first time) it was such a great challenge and learning experience. I get a lot out of your videos - thanks for all you put into it! 👍👍

Wes you do a great job and have patience. I like when you admit a mistake like we all make. I also appreciate you not playing music like other channels which are very distracting and annoying.

I applaud you Wes. I might EVENTUALLY figure out how to tear that weird sucker down but putting it all back together RIGHT - furgitaboutit. 😉

Wes not to many people are as brave as you, here im going to rebuild a transmission for the first time and put it on the internet....Awesome work dude!

BTW, I like the 30-40 min videos. I usually can't sit for 1 1/2 hours straight for a video. I watched the 1st part of this and the second half 3 hours later and I'm retired too! This was a great video series, nice detail.

I hope you know how much most of us loyal viewers really just love to kick back and watch you’re videos, as a fellow mechanic (diesel mechanic) I work on mainly doing in frames and a lot of electrical diag on class 8 trucks plus everything in between all day everyday for 10-12 hours and I still can come home and enjoy watching an hour or two of you’re videos because they are just simply perfect. I admire you and how if you don’t know something you will say “i don’t know” and then figure it out/ learn it. Please keep these videos coming! -tyler sentementes

Impressive job on the rebuild Wes, especially after doing a couple of older manual gearboxes myself. I know the personal satisfaction of a job well done is very rewarding. Appreciate the financial analysis on rebuild vs salvage trans too. Keep the videos coming

Insane level of patience as always. Makes a guy wonder if it would have been less work to engine/transmission swap the dang thing.

Wow - I could really feel my hands getting sweaty just by watching you taking the transmission apart! If that rebuild did not show what you are capable of - what else can? Simply great! 👍

Really enjoyed this video. Man, you did a great job!

Great job Wes! Obiously we know Frank Fritz must be a "grind em till you find em guy!" 🤣

Those grooves on the bearings are for the removal tool to lock into. There is a bearing collet removal tool that locks into those grooves along with a long tube and forcing screw to remove the bearings.

One day, somebody struggling with no money but plenty of time will find this video and need this information to get their only daily driver back on the road. I’m glad you saved the square body and put it back on the road. Great series

Wes is one great mechanic. Besides having an amazing ability, I believe his curiosity of how things work and tenacity are a big reason for his superior abilities to fix/troubleshoot! 👍👍

This old man thinks you did an amazing job Wes. Wish I was close to you; I would have you do some work for me. Thoroughly enjoyed watching as always. Will watch for next one.

I just finished part 1 and this was released 10 minutes later. Great timing!

Best mechanic I’ve ever seen. Wish he lived closer to me.

Arr Wes I so enjoyed the gearbox rebuild . As a 16 year 60 years ago ,Id pulled apart the engine and gearbox of a non running old then 500 cc BSA motorbike Id bought for £3 So many parts so little experience I was in my dads workshop it was the early hours of the morning after days of work on the final assembly and was stuck ,I was actually exhausted and in tears with frustration . Dad ( an engineer) appeared in his dressing gown ,Oh dad please help me ..and as he did he explained how the parts worked and the logic ,I was able to understand . That bike gave me years of service but I’ll always remember my dad saying “well done son, an engine or any mechanical device is a servant not a master , you can do it “ and I never looked back and enjoyed fixing anything thats not working all my life ..wish I still had a workshop ... thank you from Queensland Australia

Love your videos. The production quality is extremely good and the content is no different.

Wes, I think you did the right thing. You used a transmission that you knew was in decent shape. You learned how to remove and replace everything including the rebuild. So the next time you will have a better idea of how to do it. All in all, the video's were great and I think you made the right choice.

Your level of skill when it comes to Mechanics amazes me... Whether it's a old track loader or a new vehicle, splicing a boom lift harness together or building a transmission from a pile of parts You're amazing.. never miss an episode

Hey Wes, please don’t apologize for the way you choose to do things. For every complaint you get there are hundreds of us that love your work!

Had no idea a manual transmission could be so complicated. Worst I encountered was 1964 Opel 4 speed with loose needles. Well played Mr Wes!

It's just magic how in the blink of an eye, the trans went from being on the jack in one second, to all aligned, bolted, and the Y-pipe being installed in the next, lol. I love YT magic!!! I wish I had some here!

Superb job, brother. Sure, throwing in a used transmission would have been faster, but driving six total hours to pick one up sucks, and it would NEVER match the feeling that you had when you made those first few shifts. We couldn't see your face but I'd bet $1000 that you were smiling ear-to-ear. That's why the rebuild was worth it- you know the feeling, we all love that feeling.

Remind me to never buy a ranger with a Mitsubishi 5 speed, i thought automatics were complicated. Wow!!! Great work!!!

Your videos are AWESOME no matter the length. Appreciate your videos.

Agreed with rebuild the trans you have, that you know whats wrong with it. Great video. Thanks for another lesson.

30-some years ago, someone woke up every work day, went to a factory and put those things together. Every d@mn day... F ... respect. Cheers,

Love to "Watch Wes Work". Your channel is one of my favorites, up there with Ivan and Eric. Thanks for helping America stay outta the ditch.

I lost a bet with myself. I figured there was no way you'd get that back together. You are patient beyond your years! Great job! I'm impressed.

I think Wes should do at least one transmission rebuild per month. Who’s with me on this?! 👍

Shifts like butter now and quite and smooth @Watch Wes Work

The thoughtful comments on brass punches (limitations thereof) alone were worth watching the whole video for.

We all have those days Wes. Your a smart kid and a good mechanic. IMO

Yay! A Tuesday extra! Figured it would be Saturday before part 2 would be out

No one may have asked for it, but we all wanted it. AWESOME vid!!!!

Sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, even if he doesn’t gotta do it, loses money doing it, and it sucked doing it. What sorta man is this kinda man? Well, he’s a master mechanic, a KZfaq fanatic, and a darn fine example of a human being a.k.a. Wes!

Top drawer stuff, Wes! Putting that back together! The old blind welding on that exhaust part made me chuckle - stitched together with mig wire lol

So good! Also, just opened my stickers that I ordered from your shop. Actually laughed out loud. Great stuff. We should all do a small bit to support this channel. Outrageous entertainment and mechanical knowledge value. Thank you to Wes and the Crew. Also, video and audio quality is top notch after your upgrades.

I love your humor man. As far as money goes Sometimes we lose Sometimes we win. But we learned every time

Thanks for this one Wes, sure brought back some memories. I was a dealer tech in the 1980's, had my hands in many of these for warranty time. Nice job.

One thing I like about you is that regardless of impending doom, you seem fearless. Was it uneconomical? Probably. Time consuming when you could have spent that time making money otherwise? Yup. But....you did it anyway. And were successful. I'd say it was a good education. That being said, was it that much of a loss? Love your channel, Wes. Keep up the good work!

I'm pretty sure there is nothing you can't fix!! Great job!!

I rebuilt one of these in my living room with hand tools a few years back . . . over a period of several months. Needed new shafts so I spent half of what I paid for the truck just on parts, but it was a bucket list item for me. Watching you do it was a nice trip down memory lane. Like you said, there's not much on the internet about these . . . I only found a couple still pictures accompanying a written account. Thanks for sharing!

stayed up till 1 am to finish watching, the smile on your face after is priceless!

Another great video, the fact that you use mostly tools that don't require a home refinance give me hope as a DIY'r!

I’m the same way. I would have rebuilt it too. At least you know what you have when you are finished. Thankfully you able to obtain the parts needed to repair it.

I had a mechanic check my Toyota Landcruiser clutch before going on a big desert trip. The car had 100,000 km on it. He really wanted me to replace it bit the clutch was fine. I said put it back in. I got another 200,000 km out of it 🤠 I’d say don’t replace stuff just because you have easy access. Fun to watch video. You have my thumbs up but it would have to be seriously crap for me not to give you one ;)

Hey Wes.....You should watch Jeff from the Elderly Iron channel disassemble and rebuild a 50's GM manual transmission. That was seriously brutal. You did an awesome job with the Ranger and I love watching your videos. Keep it up!!!

Wes, you are amazing,. I have built a lot of manual and auto trans back in the day, but nothing like that. YOU ARE THE MAN!

That was a pretty hard core, dedicated piece of work. Now advertise it as rebuilt gearbox, with part worn clutch, on wheels, plus extras. I have to admire the way you took on the challenge, and won.

Great video. At the retirement age of 65 I am still out in the shop working on and repairing vehicles for the same reason, to see if I still can, and I still can. The real challenges for me are the electronic and drivability diagnosis’s. I’ve invested in the necessary scan tools and rely on channels like yours, Eric O, Ivan at Pine Hollow and Paul Danner at Scanner Danner. So far I can still get them figured out and repaired. I’ve learned more in the last three years with the help from your channel and others than I have in the last twenty years. Thank you. Have a great Christmas.

After watching part 1, never thought it would ever work again.

This was impressive Wes, had my doubts after seeing the whole thing apart. Good job !

I think the decent upper limit of a long video is somewhere in the range of 30 to 40 minutes, past that both parties suffer. After all, you have a job, it's already not an easy one, and this on top. Personally i don't expect you to put out movies, i'm perfectly content with you sharing the stories of the shop. People who ask otherwise don't really realize what that entails, and what it demands of you. edit: ate a word

I appreciate a fella that will buy a $300 truck, sink a couple of grand into it (in time and parts) and come out the other end with a $500 truck. Been there and enjoyed the ride. Great video and series!

I fix old junk that barely makes sense myself, but I tend to look at this a slightly different way. You helped keep another old vehicle on the road, even if it isn't a classic. The idiots using paper straws never seem to remember the "Reuse" part along with "recycle" and "reduce". And you helped someone else get some affordable wheels, and in particular a truck. It is insane what they cost these days, so you just did someone a huge favor.

Another excellent video, professional quality work. Lets remember the reason for the repair was to not pass that problem on to the next person, you showed respect. Thank you.

I always appreciate your honesty with the book times, cost and different factors. It's clear that you have thought out these decisions, and it's really special that you choose to take us through your thought process. Thanks so much for what you do!! I always enjoy watching :)

Wes, man I appreciate the effort you put into this 2 part series. I have the same trans in my truck... i learned a ton from this video, but most importantly I learned that if anything ever goes wrong with my transformation I'm going to replace it with the Mazda variant. Thanks for sharing!

I love the look of those mid 80's Rangers/Bronco II's Great looking vehicles. I wish I owned that one! Great job Wes!

The sound on this video is fantastic. Well done.

Your sarcasm is awesome. Matched only by your extreme talent at problem solving. Love the videos.

Wes taking from an old mechanic that has been working on car's since around 1983. I have found that it is often better to leave that remain seal alone on the engine, if it is not leaking then to replace it and then have it start leaking after you replaced it with a new one. Sure yeah, we are supposed to replace them when we remove the transmission to either do a rebuild, or a clutch job. But sometimes it is better to leave things like that be, and wait until they actually need to be replace. Sure it means someone else will have to go back in and replace it later on, when it does start leaking. But I have seen rear main seals on engines out last the engine it's self, just like I have seen them start leaking after being replaced. So I find it is more a matter of personal preference.

Awesome video wes I think you were brave to tackle this job ,being in the uk manual transmission are common here but I got to admit you were magic as normal ;take care stay safe out there .... John uk

WES, I appreciate your tenacity! Great content. Bringing it back to life to live on! (at least till the frame can't hold it off the ground!!)

Wes, That's your truck and your shop. You shouldn't have to answer to anyone. Well maybe your wife. I really enjoy your video's. Thank -you for posting them.

You have my respect! I would not have tackled that one.

Your skills never cease to amaze me and I love your sarcasm, next level!

I really enjoyed this 2 part video. It took a lot of patience to do that transmission repair. I would be interested in knowing what the time and parts cost was. Great job.

Great job, you did way more than I would have lol, we don’t have rust like that here in Louisiana, first video i saw I said I would have sent it to scrap yard before that nightmare 😂

Wes , your video quality is 5 stars . You proved that anything is possible if you put your mind in gear , and get a good nights sleep . Nice shifting trans .

Wow Wes... impressive! What a puzzle. Great troubleshooting and problem resolution, as usual! Thanks for sharing.

At this point I've determined Wes can pretty much fix anything.

I love it when KZfaq creators six useless junk just to show how I can be done amazing I could watch you for hours

WES, keep doing what you do. I appreciate every journey you take us on! Blessings to you and your family!

Another GREAT JOB & video performed by the Magnificent Mechanic Wes !

Great video, very interesting. I give you kudos for your work ethic, integrity, honesty, and customer consideration. Well done! If I was near to you, I'd never work on my own vehicles again!

The only manual transmission I ever worked on was in my 79 f-150 ,3 on the tree lol and I had no idea what I was doing. Your video was very informative. Great job Wes.

You proved to yourself you could do it and done very well! I started working at a Ford dealership straight out of high school and with a short vacation to Vietnam I lasted from '63 until '69 and decided I needed a career change. Still do all of my own maintenance and repairs today, but I'm still glad I don't do it for a living!

Your skills are impressive as always! Well done.

Great job! Thanks for taking the time to do the job so professionally, shoot the video and then to edit and post it! Very, very impressive and deeply appreciated! Like the beard! Hope you and your family have a merry Christmas!!

The demise of the manual transmission is now very easy to understand Master Mechanic WWW does it again. I will watch 8 hours of your work every day 👍😅 great job! From the LOU STL 314

Wes, I tilt my hat to you Sir, well done and you showed it "could be done" in the usual "Watch Wes Work" style. Nice job.. Thanks for dragging us along, well worth the watch.. Cheers!

Concerning trans install, dropping the exhaust, sometimes the long way around is the shortest ( easier ) way. Nice job sir, you are a patient man.

Wes, that was impressive to see you rebuild that transmission, see it come apart, had my doubts. Good job.

Wes, please show us the Complete Guide for rebuilding the Ford Ranger Transmission; thanks. :-) I don't mind a multi-part video, it means you've made a detailed video which is usually more interesting than an easy short job. Also, I get to Watch Wes Work on an extra day; that's always goodness.

Love the OG Rangers. I’ve owned at least three or four, plus a Bronco II. Just saw a beautiful early red extended cab 4x4 in town this evening. Pretty rare to see a rust free example here in northern Indiana…

Thank you for doing all the work and filming it besides all the problems with the repair! Having video in parts as you've made them is perfect, wanting more means your videos are great and making the second video later (or posting it) is a nice training for our "instant gratification" problem. Having to wait a bit used to be a norm and these days we get all hissy. Waiting for a good thing helps and thank you for making it this way! (yes, long winded post, but ... it's a long video :P )