Pulling Transmission and Engine 69 Barracuda

[69'Barracuda]

Hey all,
I'm getting into pulling the engine and tranny for my 69 barracuda (stripping car for body work) and have little experience with pulling said items. I'm looking for advice/ tips and tricks on pulling these. It's a 4 speed tranny and a 360. Thanks for the help.

 

[downsr]

drop it out the bottom

 

[Ben Drinkin]

drop it out the bottom

X2.. easy peasy..

 

[derrangedgadgeteer]

drop it out the bottom

Agreed. Take out your torsion bars, trailing links, shocks, unhook your upper control arms from the subframe. Disconnect all the lines and wires to the motor, as well as your brake lines, unhook the steering box from the steering wheel, and remove the driveshaft.

Then put a jack and/or some blocks under the motor and trans, undo the four bolts that hold in the k-frame, and the four bolts that hold on the trans crossmember. Then hook your cherry picker to the radiator support and lift the body off.

Easy peasy, and you're less likely to munge your firewall, fenders and radiator once its all pretty and ready to go together. I know it sounds soo much more complicated than taking it out through the top, but speaking from experience, taking it all out through the top is a nightmare, and waaay harder than it should be. The only thing worse is trying to reassemble the motor and trans in the car if you take them out separately.

 

[krazykuda]

Take it out the top with an equalizer...

Then you can keep the suspension in tact...

 

[pauly]

Can be done from the bottom or from the top - it depends on how far you are stripping your car down. I pulled my motor from the top, since I was pretty green with this A body thing. But, I did drop the K member and all of the suspension at once. When I get tot he point that it will be going back together, it will be going in from the bottom. My plan is to assemble the motor, tranny, and all front suspension and put it in from the bottom. Personally, I think if you drop it from the bottom, there are fewer things to get anything hung up on.

 

[Daves69]

If you pull out from the top, leave yourself room to lift the rear of the car and reduce the angle.

 

[barbee6043]

lot of us will drill a very small hole thru the hood/hood hinge area, that way when the hood goes back on it will be lined up , assming the alignment is correct to start with! if you are goning to rebuild the front suspension, then drop it out the bottom. me, I rather take it out the top, eng/trans hooked together.
wow, that equilzed is neat. better than a log chain with a couple of bolts thru it for " adjusting"!! must be a GM invention!? ha

 

[RogerRamRod]

I've done both ways, but if you are stripping the car for body work, I'd say out the bottom. Pull linkages, lines, wires, etc., driveshaft, radiator & fan. Jack &/or moving dollys under K member, engine, & trans until well supported. Unbolt K member, then start piling toolboxes, drills, whatever in the trunk, and the body will do a "wheelie" right up and off.
As with everything, think it through, and pay attention. That's a lot of weight and you can get hurt in a hurry.

 

[ScampMike]

Out the top or out the bottom are both valid ways to go about this - in a lot of ways it depends on your comfort level and available tools. Everyone has their opinion and experiences that form them.. and both sides of this perennial debate will swear up and down that they are right, so what do you do? #1 thing - get someone who HAS done this before to come help you, even if they only have a little experience.. go with what they know - pay attention and learn from them - learn together and most of all, keep it fun!! #2 - take pictures and mark everything, almost like you're at a crime scene and store it CAREFULLY -- nothing will derail you like trying to put it all back together and finding a bunch of parts that you have no idea what they are for! Take your time and be meticulous - and if ya can't figure it out or get it out and don't want to have to throw it out - come on here and ask.

 

[krazykuda]

#1 thing - get someone who HAS done this before to come help you, even if they only have a little experience.. go with what they know - pay attention and learn from them - learn together and most of all, keep it fun!!

 

[RogerRamRod]

"store it CAREFULLY -- nothing will derail you like trying to put it all back together and"......not being able to find the 4 @%*-#@%&^%, @$^&*%!^ K-member bolts

 

[ScampMike]

"store it CAREFULLY -- nothing will derail you like trying to put it all back together and"......not being able to find the 4 @%*-#@%&^%, @$^&*%!^ K-member bolts

ah - another member who has been there, done that... - it wasn't the K-member bolts that got me - but it took me some heavy searching to find my header bolts - ONCE.

 

[krazykuda]

"store it CAREFULLY -- nothing will derail you like trying to put it all back together and"......not being able to find the 4 @%*-#@%&^%, @$^&*%!^ K-member bolts

I throw everything that I can in boxes, then put them in the trunk or back seat of the car it's for so I don't forget later...

 

[Backally]

Top or bottom, both work. Bottom you have all the suspension out so it's easy to inspect and update

Mark each wire, I put masking tape on them and wrote where they go. Ziplock bag every bolt and nut and write where they go. Get a thread restorer set (you'll use this forever)and clean every nut and bolt before reassembly.

 

[Daves69]

BTW, A spare yoke (as in picture above) will help contain some of the mess.