I am planning to pull my engine and replace it. Do I have to pull the tranny or can I leave it in and slide the motor foward?

Mike

 

What year, what engine, and automatic or standard?

 

mike'
I pulled the engine on my 66 bb this summer. It can be done both way's. I pulled mine with the trans. I think it is easier tis way. This was my first pull and I had no problems.
Jeff

 

I agree that it can be done eather way. If it is a stick you are faced with engaging the clutch and the input shaft without knocking the throwout bearing off the fork. It will not work as easily as lining youself and your lady up however. Minute movements required to align the trans and clutch will require tools capable of moving the parts in relation to each other in small easily controlled movements..

If you do it with the trans in the car it is going to REQUIRE some kind of engine tilter and a jack in order to line things up in terms of the clutch and the transmission pilot shaft. With the jack and the tilter it should be pretty easy though! If it is an automatic it is much easier since all you need to do is hook the torque converter to the flex plate. That can be done after the engine and trans are mated up by just sliding the converter forward a fraction of an inch or so till it hits the flex plate.

 

Oops sorry, its a 1965 with a 327/ 4 speed. The motor has ran well. But over the week end I stetched it out too far and I had two rocker arm studs come out about 3/8 of a inch (see Head problems). Also I think the damper has slipped. I put a timming light on it and the mark is about 90 degrees from the tab. I tried to get the mark close and the motor would not even run. The motor has just recently been built but I don't know anything about what they did to it. The casting numbers say it is a 66 vette but the front numbers have been machined off. Also the damper is 8 inch and the guy at the part store said it should be a 6 3/4. I have too many questions about the motor so I am going to put a 383 in it.

Mike


[Modified by Mike Miller, 5:06 PM 1/13/2002]

 

I've always pulled them as a unit - it's a huge PITA to get the input shaft and the clutch properly aligned and seated in the car. Before you start, spend $60 or so on a "leveler" or "tilter" to hang on your cherry-picker; you turn the crank as you pull to tilt the engine/trans, and it's a one-person job. I've done countless pulls/installs without any help at all using mine - too many things can get damaged without it, even with a helper.

 

John,
Good idea, sounds like that would be $60.00 of insurance. If the studs come out of the heads again, shes coming out.

 

The studs are not a problem. Tap the holes and install screw in studs. I blew 2 out of my rebuilt block on the first ride. The rebuilder just pulled them out, tapped the holes and screwed in replacements, Two years later, no problems.

For a 4 speed, use a plastic input shaft or an old Muncie input to line up the clutch at installation.

Another install method: You can install the engine a little too far forward, and then not bolt it to the mounts or take it off the hoist until you slide the Muncie on. Then slide the assembly back into position and bolt the mounts down. It works slick. I don't have a leveler on my hoist, but I do have a transmission jack. With the block resting on the mounts, the back end drops as you lower the hoist chain, which lets you get the trans started in the clutch housing. :eek:


PS: I do remove the trans from the engine when removing the engine. That way I don't need to remove the radiator. After the engine is moved forward a little, the trans comes back easily and the clutch housing can be removed easily too. :eek:


[Modified by magicv8, 7:01 PM 1/14/2002]

 

Did he tap the holes with the heads on the motor? If so, what about the shavings?

Mike

 

You suck up most with a vacuum cleaner. The rest (IMO not enough to do any damage) end up in the water jacket. Oh yeah, did I mention that you should drain the block? Also, put some sealer on the threads.

 

Mike...

I just pulled the 327 out of my 66 last Sunday. A couple cam lobes were wiped, I tried to pull the cam.. it hit the radiator support crossbars, and before I knew it, the engine was on a stand.

I left the 4 spd in the car... the engine slid right off. The engine/trans pins were stuck though, so it needed some coaxing with a big screwdriver. I do have an engine tilter, which made it a bit easier.

Also... I made a trans support by using two 7/16-14 couplers and threaded rod, two nuts/washers, and a 5 ft piece of 2x6. I connected the couplers to the body mount bolts which needed a quick clean up with a hex die, and I cut the threaded rod into two 9 inch lengths. This holds the tranny up for ground (me) clearance, and the car can be moved around. The threaded rod makes the thing adjustable, and you can still use a jack to raise the tranny because the 2x6 slides up and down on the rods.

RE: The metal shavings... remove as much oil as you can from the area before you start, use a ton of paper towels to keep shavings out of the engine while you cut, and use a shop vac to pick up what you spill.

I responded to your other post on the studs issue.

Tom

PS- My balancer is off 4 degrees... it is a "press on" type, and the outer ring has walked on the hub as well.



[Modified by Tom454, 9:39 AM 1/19/2002]