Tips on pulling my motor?

-
doogievlg

doogievlg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
8,379
Reaction score
2,380
Location
Amelia, Ohio
I'm yanking the motor out of my car to start a new build on Saturday and was wondering if anyone had any tips to make it a little easier. It always seems to fight me and the headers are always a real pain. Any secrets? Besides lifting the car and dropping the k member!
 
Pull the headers first off. starter etc. You can remove tranny.

Use bubble wrap to avoid damage.
 
If you're not removing the trans, get a good draw strap and route it around the torsion bars to serve as a sling under the bellhousing.
 
Undo the brake calipers, coupler at steering box, torsion bars, etc and drop it all from the bottom. This makes headers a breeze and keeps from beating up them and the engine bay up. It worked for the factory.
 
I am thinking about going that route but will a engine lift get the car up high enough?
 
If you pull the trans with the engine, get a spare yoke for the transmission and put it in the tail of the trans and tape it with duct tape to hold it in place (in case it get snagged). This will help keep the trans fluid from leaking all over the floor when you tilt the engine while getting the trans out of the hump.

Disconnect the exhaust (headers or manifolds) and pull the engine without them. Remove the starter.

Remove the carb as it may interfere with the engine tilt bracket if you use one to tilt the engine to remove the engine and trans together.

Unbolt the trans mount from the transmission and remove it with the trans crossmember just before you start lifting the engine. Don't forget to disconnect the wire from the trans for the neutral safety switch on automatic trans cars (I've done that a couple of times).

Also remove the fan and radiator before pulling.
 
Exactly what I was looking for. Im going to the shop tomorrow night to pull the radiator fan carb and headers. I'm a little late getting started on my winter project:)
 
pull radiator, fan, alternator, and ps pump. use jack or watever to hold up trans remove starter and manifolds or headers, ive never removed a carb but always always pulled the dizzy as it gets snagged on the firewall of the 70s and 80s trucks. undo motor mounts, and hook the engine up, set a jack with a piece of wood under the oil pan and undo the tq bolts and bell housing bolts. undo the wiring and pull the motor out ive always had to pull forward and up and someone always made sure that trans stayed still. thats all i remember on doing it, but pulling a bar bones engine is easier than fighting all the accessories for space later. hope this helps
 
doogievlg said:
Exactly what I was looking for. Im going to the shop tomorrow night to pull the radiator fan carb and headers. I'm a little late getting started on my winter project:)
Click to expand...


Also don't forget to remove the alternator & brackets. and the P/S pump and brackets from engine.

Remove battery negative wire first before disconnecting any wiring. JIC.

Also remove hood from car if pulling engine and trans together. (may need an extra set of hands to do properly and not scratch paint). Make sure to mark hood hinge position on hood so you can get it back in the same place when you put it back on.

And obviosly remove the driveshaft from the axle and slide it out of the back of the trans.
 
Do not use the jack handle for the engine lift as a pry bar!


This will pinch the slots together at the tip and then it won't fit over the valve needed to open/close to raise or lower engine. :banghead:


Someone did that to mine and that is why I don't loan it out anymore... :thefinge:
 
On my brother's Dart, the PO cut the upper radiator core support out, welded on tabs, and drilled and bolted it in place. Now, you can unbolt it, take it out of the way, and the whole front of the engine compartment is open.
 
As already said. Remove the dizzy, or may end up looking for a new one if not at least a cap and scratching the firewall. I always use a leveler, lot easier than muscling engine around. Especially when it comes to installing and getting bell, and in my case pilot shaft lined up. I have done a lot. Have a bad habit of selling the engine rite out of my car. As a matter of fact, my current 340 will be coming out soon.
 
The best thing you can do is to use a sling of chain across the intake plenum, with no intake manifold, and a locking bolt on two of the links, around the hook of the engine hoist, to keep it from sliding on the chain.

If you get the boom down on 1/2 ton and put it way down in there, where the intake manifold would normally occupy, you won't have to remove your hood to take it out, if you're leaving the transmission in.

If you do decide to leave the transmission in, disconnect the tailshaft mount from the transmission. The eyelet bolt won't come out. It hits the crossmember when you try and slide it out, so go for the vertical bolts that go into the tailshaft, from the mount. so it can move backwards and allow the converter to clear the flexplate on the crank, when it comes out with the engine. You shouldn't need to disconnect the shift linkage. It will move enough to allow the engine to come loose and out.

Scampengineinstall01_zps09430571.jpeg
 
That trick for leaving the hood on works with the cylinder heads in place, too. Taking the intake off also makes it awesome to get to the upper bellhousing to engine bolts.

If you run the sling of chain across and allow the engine hoist to pivot 90° to the car, the engine comes out horizontally opposed and makes even more clearance between the hood. You can technically take it out over the fender too, if you're running shy on garage length, that way. Saves a lot of headache, messing with the hood.
 
I used to use a leveler, but ditched it after I subbed with simply keeping the engine level by locking the chain on the hook with bolts through the links, setting the mounts in place without bolts and using a jack on the loose transmission to control alignment. It's a lot easier to move the transmission than the engine, anyway. Put the engine mount bolts into the K member last, after you've got the engine and trans together.
 
Unbolt the trans, all linkages (of course) and remove in two pieces... the trans/engine combo will be much more of a pain to handle.

This is the route I went...piece of cake! :)
 
Definitely.

The only good way to get both out in one assembly, is to remove the front wheels, lower the front of the car as far down as you can get it on jackstands and get the back of the car up, while using a balancer, so you have to remove the hood.

If you leave the car on the ground, go for the engine, first. Loosen everything and leave the transmission crossmember in, with a jack under the pan. As you take the engine out, it will aid the car's height and make less work to jack up the front end, to get the trans out from underneath.

If the trans is coming out, just leave it on the jack, pull it forward, where the engine was (there will be more room for the bell, from the side, closer to the wheel well and it will pull the trans over the crossmember), then, let it down on a caster, creeper or even some cardboard to slide out.
 
I figured I would get started tonight. So far I got the fan and radiator out and the hood off. Dinner time though :)
 
I did as most are describing above. I pulled everything loose that I could get out the night before. Disconnected the trans, unbolted the headers, pulled the fan, alt and radiator. I also took off the intake and pulled the distributor, just because I was on a roll! Like was mentioned above, bag and tag everything and take lots of pictures.

My buddy came over the next day with a hoist and leveler, and we had the engine out in about 30 minutes!
 
krazykuda said:
If you pull the trans with the engine, get a spare yoke for the transmission and put it in the tail of the trans and tape it with duct tape to hold it in place (in case it get snagged). This will help keep the trans fluid from leaking all over the floor when you tilt the engine while getting the trans out of the hump.

Disconnect the exhaust (headers or manifolds) and pull the engine without them. Remove the starter.

Remove the carb as it may interfere with the engine tilt bracket if you use one to tilt the engine to remove the engine and trans together.

Unbolt the trans mount from the transmission and remove it with the trans crossmember just before you start lifting the engine. Don't forget to disconnect the wire from the trans for the neutral safety switch on automatic trans cars (I've done that a couple of times).

Also remove the fan and radiator before pulling.
Click to expand...

This! But Ive found a shave cream cap or paint can cap taped on the tail will work also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top