Motor install

[tenugent]

Is it best to have trans in car when reinstalling motor or as one unit.Thanks fir any help.

[EmTee]

As with many things, "it depends"...  Is the subject car a 1st-gen?

[60FlatTop]

My first choice would be installing the engine then the transmission. If the core support is still attached it is a long reach and steep angle to get the tailshaft coaxed under the car.

 

Unless you do it this way.

[tenugent]

54 minutes ago, EmTee said:

As with many things, "it depends"...  Is the subject car a 1st-gen?

1st gen 64

[1965rivgs]

  There`s really no definitive answer, depends most on the circumstances and the mechanic...if you have overhead room, a lift with good range, and have the capability to remove the hood (a helper), installing as a unit minimizes time spent under the car...but if one is comfortable working from a creeper under the car, has a good selection of tools and common sense to use prybars and leverage or working solo, installing the engine and trans independently works too. It`s really about having the foresight to imagine the working circumstances relative to both methods and choosing which of those circumstances is best suited to the available tools and skill set.

  I find it a PITA to work with the engine and trans as a unit due to weight and manipulating angles so I generally install each component independently.

Tom

Edited November 29, 2023 by 1965rivgs (see edit history)

[JZRIV]

In most cases personally prefer to Install engine by itself. 

[tenugent]

42 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

  There`s really no definitive answer, depends most on the circumstances and the mechanic...if you have overhead room, a lift with good range, and have the capability to remove the hood (a helper), installing as a unit minimizes time spent under the car...but if one is comfortable working from a creeper under the car, has a good selection of tools and common sense to use prybars and leverage or working solo, installing the engine and trans independently works too. It`s really about having the foresight to imagine the working circumstances relative to both methods and choosing which of those circumstances is best suited to the available tools and skill set.

  I find it a PITA to work with the engine and trans as a unit due to weight and manipulating angles so I generally install each component independently.

Tom

Thanks Tom,would you do engine first or trans.

[gungeey]

Here's my hood helper. No more neighbors. No more scrapes. No more waiting. Well spent 100 bucks, clips right on your hoist

 

 

[60FlatTop]

Step one: take off the distributor cap whichever way you decide.

[tenugent]

27 minutes ago, gungeey said:

Here's my hood helper. No more neighbors. No more scrapes. No more waiting. Well spent 100 bucks, clips right on your hoist

 

 

What is that made from?

[kegart]

If they are both out of the car, I think it would be easier to install together. 

 

Kevin 

[telriv]

IF a 1st. gen I have found it easier, for me anyway, to install the engine 1st. & then the trans.

In MANY cases I don't even remove the hood.

 

Tom T.

[1965rivgs]

3 hours ago, tenugent said:

Thanks Tom,would you do engine first or trans.

Hi Tim,

  Answer is the same.... depends on your specific circumstances, ie, is the hood already removed from the car? Do you have a trans jack in order to safely install the trans independent of the engine? (Or are you personally willing to risk installation of the trans with just a floor jack and a 2X4? Keep in mind you have 10 fingers so if the trans falls off the floor jack and cuts a couple off there are more, just try to make sure it`s not a thumb.) Do you have a heavy duty lift which is capable of safely handling the weight of both the engine and trans? Will the floor in your shop make it difficult or easy to maneuver the lift with both the weight of the engine and trans suspended? Is your lifting fixture capable of changing angles through the installation process if installing as a unit? The variables are MANY, no matter which method or order, and specific to your situation.

  Look forward in the process keeping in mind what your circumstances and available tools/equipment are at your disposal, and your skill set, and decide which method is best for YOU.

  Personally, what I GENERALLY do, is remove the valve covers, rocker assemblies and possibly the intake to grab the engine with the lift as close to the valley pan as possible, minimizing the distance between the boom and engine. Generally, that enables me to have enough clearance for the boom when lifting the engine to do the installation without bothering with the hood, but it will be tight so care is required... and through trial and error over decades of experience I have MANY options at hand for lifting in my arsenal so I can grab the engine tight and well balanced...but I try to keep it simple!

  Generally, for removal, I place a jack under the trans and lift the front of the trans as I lift the engine until the front of the trans touches the trans tunnel and then separate the trans from engine in that position, lift out the engine after moving it forward slightly and then go after the trans by moving it forward away from the crossmember and uncouple from the d-shaft yoke.

  For installation I generally install the trans first leaving the trans jack in place, the rear mount locks the trans into the desired forward/rearward position, so when I "drop" the engine most of the manipulation of components occurs from a standing position beside the car instead of from a prone position on a creeper, or both, which requires on and off the creeper; I`m old enough so that hurts now.  In this way I can manipulate the engine with the lift and manipulate the trans with the handle of the trans jack, both from a standing position beside the car, as the trans only needs to go right or left and the front angle of the trans can be adjusted up or down to mate with the engine with the trans jack.

  Having stated all of the above, there is no "right" or "wrong" way or order to do it, it`s all dictated by your circumstances and preferences....and truth be told, I`m likely to mix things up depending on my mood and how uncomfortable I am given the specific circumstances or time constraints. It`s one of those situations where a certain minimum degree of forethought is necessary to keep from doing something stupid or putting yourself in a trick bag, but in the end, overthinking things is time better spent putting hands on and moving toward your goal....get that monkey off the couch and put him to work.

Tom 

 

  

[60FlatTop]

I like to buy tools.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mrm-m998090?seid=srese1&ppckw=pmax-tools&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_z6gfzpggMVT0dHAR2N5wXTEAQYASABEgIxBfD_BwE

 

[tenugent]

1 hour ago, 1965rivgs said:

Hi Tim,

  Answer is the same.... depends on your specific circumstances, ie, is the hood already removed from the car? Do you have a trans jack in order to safely install the trans independent of the engine? (Or are you personally willing to risk installation of the trans with just a floor jack and a 2X4? Keep in mind you have 10 fingers so if the trans falls off the floor jack and cuts a couple off there are more, just try to make sure it`s not a thumb.) Do you have a heavy duty lift which is capable of safely handling the weight of both the engine and trans? Will the floor in your shop make it difficult or easy to maneuver the lift with both the weight of the engine and trans suspended? Is your lifting fixture capable of changing angles through the installation process if installing as a unit? The variables are MANY, no matter which method or order, and specific to your situation.

  Look forward in the process keeping in mind what your circumstances and available tools/equipment are at your disposal, and your skill set, and decide which method is best for YOU.

  Personally, what I GENERALLY do, is remove the valve covers, rocker assemblies and possibly the intake to grab the engine with the lift as close to the valley pan as possible, minimizing the distance between the boom and engine. Generally, that enables me to have enough clearance for the boom when lifting the engine to do the installation without bothering with the hood, but it will be tight so care is required... and through trial and error over decades of experience I have MANY options at hand for lifting in my arsenal so I can grab the engine tight and well balanced...but I try to keep it simple!

  Generally, for removal, I place a jack under the trans and lift the front of the trans as I lift the engine until the front of the trans touches the trans tunnel and then separate the trans from engine in that position, lift out the engine after moving it forward slightly and then go after the trans by moving it forward away from the crossmember and uncouple from the d-shaft yoke.

  For installation I generally install the trans first leaving the trans jack in place, the rear mount locks the trans into the desired forward/rearward position, so when I "drop" the engine most of the manipulation of components occurs from a standing position beside the car instead of from a prone position on a creeper, or both, which requires on and off the creeper; I`m old enough so that hurts now.  In this way I can manipulate the engine with the lift and manipulate the trans with the handle of the trans jack, both from a standing position beside the car, as the trans only needs to go right or left and the front angle of the trans can be adjusted up or down to mate with the engine with the trans jack.

  Having stated all of the above, there is no "right" or "wrong" way or order to do it, it`s all dictated by your circumstances and preferences....and truth be told, I`m likely to mix things up depending on my mood and how uncomfortable I am given the specific circumstances or time constraints. It`s one of those situations where a certain minimum degree of forethought is necessary to keep from doing something stupid or putting yourself in a trick bag, but in the end, overthinking things is time better spent putting hands on and moving toward your goal....get that monkey off the couch and put him to work.

Tom 

 

  

Thanks Tom,think I'll go with trans in place first.Hood will be off.If there's any fingers to be lost it will be the Monkeys.

[1965rivgs]

6 hours ago, gungeey said:

Here's my hood helper. No more neighbors. No more scrapes. No more waiting. Well spent 100 bucks, clips right on your hoist

 

 

Steve,

  How is the hood secured to the tool? Are there angle clamps that are not visible in your pic?

[gungeey]

4 minutes ago, 1965rivgs said:

Steve,

  How is the hood secured to the tool? Are there angle clamps that are not visible in your pic?

Hi Tom, the ends are rebar bent in a 90º angle. Fuel hose over it to protect the finish.

[arnulfo de l.a.]

20 hours ago, gungeey said:

Hi Tom, the ends are rebar bent in a 90º angle. Fuel hose over it to protect the finish.

Slick!

[BulldogDriver]

I’ve removed my motor twice recently. Both times to address transmission issues and I did it with the hood attached, jacked up the car high enough to have the transmission slide slide under the car on a couple pieces of cardboard. I made a flat holder for the trans pan out of plywood and attached it to a floor jack so I could fit it after getting the motor in place held with the motor jack. 1/2 a day each way by myself. 
 

Wasn't that difficult at all.

 

Ray

[Turbinator]

I take pictures and label wires, hoses, brackets, put hardware in clear bags with label of what the stuff is in the bag. I never took an engine out or put one back in until a few years ago.

The pictures helped see how things are suppose to go. In the end it all worked out pretty good. Surprisingly.

Turbinator