Rear End Coupler question

[Curly1]

I have a Front Engine dragster with long tail shaft powerglide. Last year I had a wooden dowel in the yoke to keep the yoke to the correct depth in the pinion nut. That was not a good solution because you have to pull motor out to change transmission or converter. With the dowel in there you can not slide the yoke forward in the transmission so that means motor and midplate have to come out.

 So this year I put two slip collars on the yoke to hold it to correct depth but it has damaged the transmission seal. Loosen the slip collars, slide yoke up in transmission then you can lift transmission out the top.

So is there any good solutions that can make it easy to remove transmission and will not hurt the seal?

A friend told me someone used to make a pinion nut for coupler that had a snap ring type deal to hold the coupler in place while running. Then to remove transmission take out snap ring, push yoke forward and then you can easily take out tranny.  I have not been able to find such animal?

Mark Williams and Strange both have a quick connect yoke pinion deal but they both said the ONLY work on SHORTY transmissions.  Mark Williams said my only options are put a dowel in the yoke or change transmission to a shorty, new planitaries and then use their funny car drive shaft. That would make it fairly easy to remove transmission but would cost about $2000 and would take a lot of time. Plus I would have to fabricate a large two piece drive shaft cover over it.

[32bantam]

I put a LARGE flat washer on the trans. yoke to protect the seal  from the yoke moving forward. It solved the issue on my car.  Long tailshaft powerglide, rigid altered. I use two split collars on each end of the driveshaft to hold the couplers at 1/8" clearance. My driveshaft is considerably longer than yours.

[dreracecar]

Machine a aluminum cup with an ID step to press against the shell portion of the seal but not touch the seal material itself and the hole slightly larger then the coupler shaft. A good fit and set screw to hold the cup in place. Before you install the coupler into the trans slide a needle-bearing thrust washer onto it that way you don't have straight metal to metal contact with the coupler split clamp to "cup".  You will have to take tail housing and chuck in a lathe to turn that area round

[Curly1]

Thanks guys, I am probably going to use a combination of your ideas.