It looks like I'm going to pull the small block out of my 66 alone if I ever want to get it to the machine shop. The weather has turned cold here and along with falling temperatures, so has the enthusiasm of friends who earlier volunteered to help. I have a hoist and can get the car up on stands. Like all things done solo, there are tricks and do's and don'ts that might aid in the process. The heads are off and all that's left on the block is the starter. Radiator is out as well. I know about unbolting the bellhousing and the motor mounts and the process in general but any help in going solo is appreciated.

 

Unless you have an unusual lift you will probably have to pluck it out from the side. With the heads and intake off you might be able to pull it from the front if you have enough reach. If pulling the transmission with the engine you probably need to pull the radiator support also - I have a BB so not sure about this with a SB. Good luck.

 

When I pulled my engine, I removed the hood, radiator, fan, water pump, exhaust manifolds, dist, alternator, wires & speedometer cable. Plugged transmission tail shaft.
Engine lift had extendable feet and used an engine leveler for angling the engine & transmission to clear the radiator support.
Joe

 

I pulled out my 57 engine using a high chainfall, complete with the trans, (4sp) but it must be tilted almost stright up. (only hood and radiator removed) I diden't put it back in the same way.

 

Hi, at work , will post pictures of my 66 L-79 removal by myself... when I get home. You should take out all the front stuff as suggested.

There is a post of mine ,but I can't find it now....

Jack

 

The radiator support is out. It looks pretty wide open in there. The hood is still on but that's coming off before pulling the block. What's the best way to mark the hinges to make aligning the hood easier when it's time to re-install it?

 

I used tape like painters tape to mark the hinge positions.

 

Apply masking tape along the edges of the outline of the hood side of the hinges, then remove the hood side hinge-to-hood bolts and remove the hood. When you re-install the hood later, match up the edges of the hinges with the edges of the tape and install the bolts.

 

With the radiator support out you are probably best off to pull the motor and transmission together. Not sure what your plan is. An engine tilter would be a help doing this by yourself but not an absolute must have. Put the yoke back in the transmission and secure it or put a couple baggies around the tail shaft and wire it off tight to catch the leaking lube. I lowered the front of my car down pretty low to the ground after unbolting everything underneath in order to have extra room to get the engine/transmission over the fender.

 

If you pull from the front you will not be able to lower the car. The legs of the engine crane won't clear under the control arms. Dennis

 

Has anyone used a 4 post lift to pull the engine out?

 

100%. Mark the position of the yoke so it goes back on the same way.

Pulling the engine and leaving the transmission is one thing....trying to get the manual transmission to go into the clutch when putting it back in is something entirely DIFFERENT....which is why I always pull the engine and transmission together.

I use an engine tilter also....and use a chain fall also....so I can move the car backwards when the engine/transmission is coming up and out. I have not used a cherry picker in so long....I can not tell you how to do it....because the few times I did over 20 years ago....it was really hard due to the lower control arms kept me from getting the cheery picker in at the front due to the boom needing to be extended so much.

DUB

 

I just pulled the engine/transmission as a unit 3 weeks ago ('66 L79/T5). My car is in my 2 car garage on jack stands . . . the bottom of the frame is @ 18 inches off the ground - and I pulled it from the front. The legs on my engine hoist are 76" long - and the boom is set at the "1 ton" mark (total length is 6'). I have 2 jack stands on either side, plus one under the diff (the front gets light with the engine out!). You'll need a "tilter" to make it work. Hope this helps!

Tom

 

Here are a few shots of my taking out and in , I had a very long bar on my hoist , so I could take it from the front.

Jack

 

More

 

I really don't want to take the transmission out. With it out, it will beg to be rebuilt as well and this project becomes something way way past what it started out to be...replace rear main seal.

Nice pictures Jackfit. The small floor jack supports the transmission. I like it. How did you get the spline to line up when re-installing? With the heads and intake off on mine, where do I attach the chain harness?

 

Hi, you can see the guide bolts that are in the last two holes. They guide the engine into the bell housing , at the same time you are lining up the tranny with the clutch...I did it very slowly and using the floor jack and hoist, I gently let it down into place....

Use the any holes in block that will give you balance..should not be too heavy without heads ,,use good bolts that you put in block for hoist...don't want too damage block holes



Jack

 

post your location, maybe 'help' is near...........

 

First trick, take it out in one piece. It is a lot easier removing heads on an engine stand than in the car.

Second trick, most important now, put it back in one piece.


True friends will cancel a date with a good looking girl, skip the local high school football game, and come crawl under a car with you to help install a transmission.

You have acquaintances.


1. A very good idea. Most get a vibration they can't find and it can be from changing the orientation of the yoke and driveshaft.


2. Silly boy, this is EASY!

Get four 1/2 inch bolts, two 4 inches long, two 6 inches long.

Cut the heads off of them, cut a slot in the end for a screwdriver, and polish on a wire wheel the threads so they turn in and out of the bellhousing super easy.

Drop the engine in (or the engine is already in). Bellhousing is on the engine.

Have the transmission in place over the crossmember ready to go in the bellhousing. Have the two long studs in the lower holes. Use them to bear the weight of the transmission so it slides instead of sliding the input shaft on the clutch disk. This helps you keep from knocking the throwout bearing out of the fork.

Slide the transmission in as far as you can go or until the studs begin to hit the transmission. Change the long studs out for the short ones.

Slide the transmission in until it stops. DO NOT FORCE IT. It most likely will be 1 inch from being flush with the bellhousing.

Clutch linkage must be connected.

Have someone step on the clutch, and the transmission will slide right in. What holds it out is the misalignment of the input shaft and the pilot bushing. Most alignment tools still miss unless you are using an old input shaft.

(if you have arms like a bear, you can just grab the fork and pull it backwards to release the disk.)


CAUTION: The transmission MUST be in as far as it will go, leaving at most a 1 inch gap. If you are out too far, the disk will fall since the input shaft isn't in it to hold it up.


Remove the small studs, put in your bolts, and finish putting on the linkages and all.



3. This is where I loved my pit and chain hoist. As you lift with the chain hoist, if anything caught, you could get under in the pit and disconnect those things you find you missed.

I supposed you could do it with a lift, too, but then it is hard to get up in the air next to the car for guiding the engine up and out.





WHAT?????

Why did you pull the engine? You could have dropped the pan, removed the rear main cap, and changed the seal. I would have slid new bearings in at that point since I have a phobia of retorquing old bearings. It is a notion about the crush factor on bearings which used to be mentioned by bearing manufacturers but no one pays attention to today.

Easier on a lift or over a pit than on the floor on jack stands, but still , a lot easier than removing the engine.





This is the BEST idea and yet lots of people never tell where they are. They could have help just around the block from them.

 

Without the details, I'm now committed to pulling the engine and doing a full rebuild. Yes I know about the rear main seal easy-fix. It's done already. It was done before all this BS happened. This project got out of hand due to circumstances that are not important to this thread. I really appreciate the input about getting it out and getting it back in- all very helpful; to all: thank you. I build houses not engines so I admit to ignorance of this to some degree. I'll get it out with the help of this forum, with or without my "acquaintances".