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Backally

Backally

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Thinking of removing my engine, 70 Duster 340/a833 to clean up the engine compartment this winter. Thinking of lowering the k frame instead of lifting it out. Three questions:

How much does engine/tranny/kframe weigh? Will a hoist hooked onto a carb lift plate hold it? RPM air gap, will the studs hold in the aluminum manifold or do I need to worry about them pulling out or breaking?

Will a dolly made of doubled up 2x4's hold it to wheel it out from under the car?

What do you hook the hoist up to on the car to lift it once the k frame is on the dolly?

Thanks
 
First why are you hooking a hoist to the motor
second yes the 2 X 4 should hold it as long as you have good casters
Third I attach a cherry picker to the bumper brackets and a floor jack under
the rear set it down on your cart remove the 4 k frame bolts lift the car up
and roll everything out ----- once you have did it this way you'll never pull
or install anything from the top again - and yes I know what you guys are thinking
 
I use to pull my SB out of my dart in 45 min. That is from start to finish. You'll not do that removing the K frame.... Lots hooked to that K frame and you still have to disconnect everything on top but each to their own...
 
dodge71demon said:
First why are you hooking a hoist to the motor
second yes the 2 X 4 should hold it as long as you have good casters
Third I attach a cherry picker to the bumper brackets and a floor jack under
the rear set it down on your cart remove the 4 k frame bolts lift the car up
and roll everything out ----- once you have did it this way you'll never pull
or install anything from the top again - and yes I know what you guys are thinking
Click to expand...


I did the same basic thing using a 1 ton electric gantry hoist to lift the front of the car's (67 dart) body high enough for me to roll the engine, trans, K frame, etc. on a dolly out from under the car.

As for installing the engine this way, my next project will done in a similar fashion. I am going to use a full height car lift to lower the body down on to the engine, trans, frame sitting on a HD work bench on casters. Up form the bottom is how the factory installed powertrains into these cars.
 
318willrun said:
I use to pull my SB out of my dart in 45 min. That is from start to finish. You'll not do that removing the K frame.... Lots hooked to that K frame and you still have to disconnect everything on top but each to their own...
Click to expand...

I'll have to differ on that unless you have exhaust manifolds.You have to remove more items to take out the top - hood - fan - possibly radiator etc etc fom the bottom you can leave everything on even the air cleaner and just and fast if not faster.pull torsion bars - unhook lower ball joints from the spindles and a few other items and your out
 
I recently "dropped" my slant six out of the bottom of my 65 this way and loved it. The new small block is going back in the same way. I put mine up in the air at all 4 corners, unbolted, unhooked and labeled everything and then unlike others I hooked a cherry picker to my motor, put a jack under the tranny, unbolted the 4 K-frame bolts and then lowered the whole engine/tranny assembly down to a waiting movers dolly below. After that I hooked the cherry picker to the bumper bolts like the post above and lifted the front of the car until I had enough clearance to wheel the whole assembly out from under the car.
 
The new 5.9 Magnum/727 combo with bare K-frame sits comfortably on a Harbor Freight 1000lb Movers' Dolly with a second dolly under the trans tailshaft for extra support and balance.
 

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FYI just make sure your cart will fit between the leags of your cherry picker and also clear the top of them
 
dodge71demon said:
I'll have to differ on that unless you have exhaust manifolds.You have to remove more items to take out the top - hood - fan - possibly radiator etc etc fom the bottom you can leave everything on even the air cleaner and just and fast if not faster.pull torsion bars - unhook lower ball joints from the spindles and a few other items and your out
Click to expand...
Never removed the hood. remove carb and distributor (5 min). Removed radiator (drain it while unbolting headers.) 2 motor mount bolts, and if leaving the tranny in, I had 4 bell housing bolts and 4 torque converter bolts. Left the starter in, All done from start to finish in 45 min.... motor on the ground. See the picture posted ^^^ above?? Not happening in 45 min. That looks terrible, ball joints, steering, brakes, etc, etc,. You can fight torsion bars and brake lines alone for a time, then blead the brakes when done, etc, etc, but he didn't have to remove the air cleaner... LOL
 
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See the picture posted ^^^ above?? Not happening in 45 min. That looks terrible, ball joints, steering, brakes, etc, etc,. You can fight torsion bars and brake lines alone for a time, then blead the brakes when done, etc, etc, but he didn't have to remove the air cleaner... LOL
Click to expand...

The car was coming apart for a full restoration. Everything stays as one unit until you are ready to restore it. You don't have parts stored in 10 different places...everything stays together so things don't get lost. There is NO better way of doing it if you are tearing a car completely apart. If you are just doing engine work then you are correct, there is no point in disconnecting the suspension.
 
318willrun said:
Never removed the hood. remove carb and distributor (5 min). Removed radiator (drain it while unbolting headers.) 2 motor mount bolts, and if leaving the tranny in, I had 4 bell housing bolts and 4 torque converter bolts. Left the starter in, All done from start to finish in 45 min.... motor on the ground. See the picture posted ^^^ above?? Not happening in 45 min. That looks terrible, ball joints, steering, brakes, etc, etc,. You can fight torsion bars and brake lines alone for a time, then blead the brakes when done, etc, etc, but he didn't have to remove the air cleaner... LOL
Click to expand...

Every thing is a matter of opinion and things gets easier and faster with practice
 
With my '74 duster and 340 with the milodon road race pan and Doug's headers there's no way I'd ever pull it out the top again. From the top the engine has to go in by itself because of the pan and spool type K, then the flywheel and clutch once the engine is in, then the bell, and then the 4 speed, then the headers, starter and steering box, all separate. Huge pain. That's the way I did it, but never again.

Dropping the k is easier, just separate the lower ball joint from the spindle and use the LCA to help remove the torsion bars. Since the uca's and spindles stay so do the brakes etc.

On a stock car out the top is pretty simple, but with my set up its a royal pain.
 
My question on the lift plate was to hook the engine up, lower it onto the dolly, the hook the hoist up to the car and lift it. isnt that the best way?

Ok, another question. By the pictures the dolly straddles the hoist. How do you roll the engine out? Brace the body up that high and unhook the hoist?
 
Here my slant when I pulled it and right before it went back in. I welded up a cart, but seen plenty of pics on here with mover dollies. I ran chain around the bumper shock mounts (which I know you dont have), not sure what you can use but grab something solid the furthest front you can get. Might want to pull your grille off so you don't chance busting it. Four swivel casters will help manuever the assembly out the side with hoist still attached. I did not disconnect brake lines, just wired the calipers up to the cam bolt holes for upper arms.
 

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I should of had the arm of the hoist out farther but my garage wasn't deep enough. The end of the hoist was right where the concrete drops off a couple inches. I ended up having to turn the hoist to the side in order to slide out the engine. If the hoist arm was out farther, I wouldn't have had to do that.

I hooked a chain to the bolt holes in the head and lowered the assembly onto the dolly. I get nervous with carb plates.
 
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