For 5 years in a row, every fall I would take put my 367 and install my winter 318, and every spring I would re-install the 367 after having gone thru it. And usually, I would install a different trans at the same time, and swap the rear chunk as well.That 68 Barracuda was my DD. So I always picked a long weekend and started Saturday morning. And was usually motoring around on saturday night. This on a drive-on hoist with a cheery picker. One time from underneath but that actually took longer.I think the longest I ever took was 14 hours for a complete powertrain swap. But wasn't always all in a row. (yes power-steering/power brakes.)
The very first time was a bit of a pain cuz I couldn't remember which side of the lugs the brackets went on and I had to notch the K for pan clearance. I had prefit the headers outside the bay and discovered the 90* adapter didn't need to be there with the TTIs. I had made an engine tilter, but it was a little on the long side so it wanted to hit the firewall before the engine/trans levelled out. I had made the pick-up point adjustable so I just had to drop everything onto the K and move the balance point. Of course the headers were already positioned, so they had to come out first. Yada yada yada.
I feel your pain. I have the biscuit mounts so that at least was easy. And yes I guessed right as to the lug positioning. Yes the steering had to be dropped, and on the first go-round I pushed the T-bars back too. And I wasn't all that careful about the paint either. I knew I was gonna be taking those engines out multiple times, and chit happens.
But you know what, in year 1999, at the first install........ I was only 47.
By the 11th and final swap, all the bolts knew their way home.
After that I was no longer finding issues in the engine during the winter freshening, and I was finally making a little money; and so I bought a winter beater.
Yeah but I'm not real interested to do the job now at age 65.
