Engine Install Question

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awohlers

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Well I think Saturday is going to be the day the engine and tranny get put in my car. The heads, intake manifold, carb, scatter shield, flywheel, clutch etc all arrived today and the cam got installed last night. I've seen several people install the big blocks from underneath and several people stab it in from the top. So I am turning to you experts to ask which way I should go? I don't have a lift but saw I could take the front bumper off and jack the car up using the engine hoist and then 4 wheel dolly the K-Member underneath. I could also go in from the top and seperate the engine/tranny if I have to. I seriously don't think I could have got this done without this forum. Pics to follow!
 
You said big block on an A-body site, so if it is a 440 & you are using headers.....

Block in with no top on it, then make sure the headers are near where they need to be.

Install heads & mate the headers to them as needed.
 
This is with a small block, it was close, no hood or more head room would give more clearance.
In my lift test I saw no noticeable flexing, I even lifted it back up with engine to get jack stands back under it.


Alan

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YIKES !!! Woulda picked a different spot as well.

Once you do the Bottoms Up method you never go back !

No jacking around with little items with little space. Things like linkages and trany lines and header clearances... Its such a freakin clean install !
 
Define strong? Like I said zero measurable deflection. I first lifted a 1/2" off the jack stands and checked with a straight edge, zero. There isn't that much weight on the front end at that point.


Alan
 
Well I think Saturday is going to be the day the engine and tranny get put in my car. The heads, intake manifold, carb, scatter shield, flywheel, clutch etc all arrived today and the cam got installed last night. I've seen several people install the big blocks from underneath and several people stab it in from the top. So I am turning to you experts to ask which way I should go? I don't have a lift but saw I could take the front bumper off and jack the car up using the engine hoist and then 4 wheel dolly the K-Member underneath. I could also go in from the top and seperate the engine/tranny if I have to. I seriously don't think I could have got this done without this forum. Pics to follow!


I made a simple bar with a bolt sticking up on each end to keep it from slipping. Lifted the car with my engine hoist using that. No need to disassemble the front clip or bumper. It was much easier than stuffing it in from the top like I had done for nearly 4 decades.

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lift the front, not the engine/trans, much easier. You could also pile a few toolboxes, bags of concrete, sand, whatever you got- in the trunk, makes the front that much lighter. Be careful when you get a few things in there, might just lift on its own.
Engine & trans on a couple harbor freight furniture dollies & blocks, roll’em under, set the body down by unloading trunk.
 
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Lots of ways to do it. Putting the engine in from below works really well if you have the setup to do it. On my Duster installing the engine from below is the only way you can get the headers on. The headers are so huge that they won't go in from above. If you install the headers and then pull the engine in from below the whole deal can go in as an assembly. But you have to have the right tools to make it happen. I lift the front of the car up using my overhead crane and then I pull the engine up from below using the crane.
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Lots of ways to do it. Putting the engine in from below works really well if you have the setup to do it. On my Duster installing the engine from below is the only way you can get the headers on. The headers are so huge that they won't go in from above. If you install the headers and then pull the engine in from below the whole deal can go in as an assembly. But you have to have the right tools to make it happen. I lift the front of the car up using my overhead crane and then I pull the engine up from below using the crane.
View attachment 1715174721 View attachment 1715174722

Andy,
It's so cool to see your projects and hardware.

I have a question about your EFI & COP Ignition components in place on the car. Can the same set-up be bolted onto a traditional, non-belt driven cam drive to upgrade to EFI? I mean using the stock water pump, timing cover, harmonic balancer and accessory pulleys?

I'd like to make the switch to EFI & COP, and was curious as to just how it will bolt on and still allow me to run my existing accessory belt drive that is in place. Thanks.
 
Andy,
It's so cool to see your projects and hardware.

I have a question about your EFI & COP Ignition components in place on the car. Can the same set-up be bolted onto a traditional, non-belt driven cam drive to upgrade to EFI? I mean using the stock water pump, timing cover, harmonic balancer and accessory pulleys?

I'd like to make the switch to EFI & COP, and was curious as to just how it will bolt on and still allow me to run my existing accessory belt drive that is in place. Thanks.

Yes if you have a single groove pulley. Go to my website and look at the AR065 timing wheel and pulley combo. EFI trigger wheel for stock water pump | AR Engineering

If that looks like it will work for you then give Rich at FAST Man EFI a call and he can set you up with the parts.
 
Yes if you have a single groove pulley. Go to my website and look at the AR065 timing wheel and pulley combo. EFI trigger wheel for stock water pump | AR Engineering

If that looks like it will work for you then give Rich at FAST Man EFI a call and he can set you up with the parts.

Thanks for the quick response. I have two questions about it.

Is it possible to mount the pick-up on the opposite side with a custom bracket? I have my "under alternator" A/C pump using up the bolts and space at that spot.

Also, I would need to add a second pulley, and figure out if it needed to be placed before or after the one you make. Do you offer one off custom parts like that?
 
Was just gonna ask this same question, hopefully my 440 will be back from machine shop soon. let me ask , if my k member is still in car is it still easier to take it out and go from the bottom?
 
Was just gonna ask this same question, hopefully my 440 will be back from machine shop soon. let me ask , if my k member is still in car is it still easier to take it out and go from the bottom?
If you separate the spindle from the upper control arm you should not impact your alignment, the only issue you may have is removing the torsion bars.
For those with stock exhaust manifolds the head pipes may be an issue, might need to unbolt the hangers.


Alan
 
If you separate the spindle from the upper control arm you should not impact your alignment, the only issue you may have is removing the torsion bars.
For those with stock exhaust manifolds the head pipes may be an issue, might need to unbolt the hangers.


Alan
my alingment is all jacked up anyway. no exhaust in car, schumacher headers
 
Me and a friend did a 383 auto in a 69 dart. We bolted up the engine and trans, jacked the rear end of the car way up high, and slid the assembly in with a cherry picker. i dont know how o rwhy but the rear end being up made it real easy. the trans tunnel is in line with the tailshaft housing
 
Another off topic question for you smart guys. I got a cam from Crower I installed last weekend. Specs are Dur @ .050” Lift: 228°/236° RR: 1.5/1.5 Gross Lift: .478”/.502” LSA: 112° RPM: 1800 to 6000 Redline: 6500. I got new springs and retainers for the heads. Got everything installed and then someone said I should take those springs off, put weaker springs on to break the cam in. I really don't feel like doing this since changing valve springs with heads on is a pain in the balls. What do you guys think?
 
Changing the springs on the engine is a pain, especially if the engine is in the car. It really depends on the spring pressure. You should probably call the tech line at Crower and ask them. If you have dual springs then usually the engine shop will break in with just the outers. If you have a single spring then you are kind of stuck. I use beehive springs on a lot of flat tappet builds and we break them in with the beehives. Really serious engine builders use low ratio rocker arms for break in and then switch over to the real rocker arms for the dyno testing.
 
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