Tips on Pulling an Engine from Car
Racer
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 276
Likes: 31
From: Brant County Ontario
Typical C3 Corvette engine removal procedure:
Unbolt transmission mount. Find rust on the frame. Remove hood. Snap a bolt in the process. Unbolt radiator support, remove rad. Support falls apart in your hands, throw it out and get a new one. Attach hoist to motor. Unbolt motor mounts. Find more rust. Set motor aside and re-inspect frame. Remove front bumper support, splash pan, headlights, front clip, windshield, doors. Break the body mounts free. Remove gas tank support. Strip one nut so that it won't come out and you have to cut it free, but only AFTER the other side is loose so that the take can fall on your head if you make the wrong noise. Remove tank once you recover from the concussion. Lift body from frame. Replace frame. Replace birdcage. Lose the wiring harness. Break the windshield. Replace it. Forget to install the trim clips. Break the new windshield. Sell car, get really into needlepoint.
Unbolt transmission mount. Find rust on the frame. Remove hood. Snap a bolt in the process. Unbolt radiator support, remove rad. Support falls apart in your hands, throw it out and get a new one. Attach hoist to motor. Unbolt motor mounts. Find more rust. Set motor aside and re-inspect frame. Remove front bumper support, splash pan, headlights, front clip, windshield, doors. Break the body mounts free. Remove gas tank support. Strip one nut so that it won't come out and you have to cut it free, but only AFTER the other side is loose so that the take can fall on your head if you make the wrong noise. Remove tank once you recover from the concussion. Lift body from frame. Replace frame. Replace birdcage. Lose the wiring harness. Break the windshield. Replace it. Forget to install the trim clips. Break the new windshield. Sell car, get really into needlepoint.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 53
From: Bogart GA
Typical C3 Corvette engine removal procedure:
Unbolt transmission mount. Find rust on the frame. Remove hood. Snap a bolt in the process. Unbolt radiator support, remove rad. Support falls apart in your hands, throw it out and get a new one. Attach hoist to motor. Unbolt motor mounts. Find more rust. Set motor aside and re-inspect frame. Remove front bumper support, splash pan, headlights, front clip, windshield, doors. Break the body mounts free. Remove gas tank support. Strip one nut so that it won't come out and you have to cut it free, but only AFTER the other side is loose so that the take can fall on your head if you make the wrong noise. Remove tank once you recover from the concussion. Lift body from frame. Replace frame. Replace birdcage. Lose the wiring harness. Break the windshield. Replace it. Forget to install the trim clips. Break the new windshield. Sell car, get really into needlepoint.
Unbolt transmission mount. Find rust on the frame. Remove hood. Snap a bolt in the process. Unbolt radiator support, remove rad. Support falls apart in your hands, throw it out and get a new one. Attach hoist to motor. Unbolt motor mounts. Find more rust. Set motor aside and re-inspect frame. Remove front bumper support, splash pan, headlights, front clip, windshield, doors. Break the body mounts free. Remove gas tank support. Strip one nut so that it won't come out and you have to cut it free, but only AFTER the other side is loose so that the take can fall on your head if you make the wrong noise. Remove tank once you recover from the concussion. Lift body from frame. Replace frame. Replace birdcage. Lose the wiring harness. Break the windshield. Replace it. Forget to install the trim clips. Break the new windshield. Sell car, get really into needlepoint.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 14
From: Airdrie Alberta
Just did it. Hood off, radiator and radiator support out (8 easy bolts), shifter handle off.
Engine and trans together out and in. No adjusting the shift linkage required. 3 guys, 2 hrs and beer. Taking out the radiator and support gives you lots of room and no worries.
Engine and trans together out and in. No adjusting the shift linkage required. 3 guys, 2 hrs and beer. Taking out the radiator and support gives you lots of room and no worries.
I just removed the flywheel, and fan.... leave the hood and rad alone...just another option
Then when you drop the 454 in same thing...no flywheel or clutch..drops right in by your self in 5 minutes
Last edited by hwcoop; Jul 31, 2014 at 10:41 PM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 53
From: Bogart GA
I am not sure why you needed to remove the flywheel. I hope I can clear the fire wall with the clutch still attached. I am surprised you managed to install with the fuel pump attached, that usually interferes with the upper A-Arm. I have electric fans, the hood and rad stay put.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 14
From: Airdrie Alberta
I am not sure why you needed to remove the flywheel.
A: 350 would not fit on my engine stand with flywheel attached
B:454 uses externally balanced flywheel so i chose to install it after with the clutch (more clearance)
2 seconds to remove with impact gun :-)
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 53
From: Bogart GA
I am trying to figure out a way to pull the engine without messing with transmission. The problem id unlike an automatic, the engine would need to be pulled forward to clear the trans input shaft. The mounts make that impossible unless you lift the engine to clear them or unbolt them from the engine. I really think the only practical way to do this is to pull the transmission away from the block which means disconnecting shift, mounts, cross-member, drive shaft u-joint.....yuck...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,117
Likes: 104
From: charlotte north carolina
I think that you could raise the engine or remove the engine mounts, but that might put a lot of strain in the clutch/shifter/trans mount/Ujoint. The bigger problem is reinstalling the engine. Aligning the engine to the trans is going to be very difficult without the trans being loose. Sorry to say it, but I'd slid the trans back.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 53
From: Bogart GA
I think that you could raise the engine or remove the engine mounts, but that might put a lot of strain in the clutch/shifter/trans mount/Ujoint. The bigger problem is reinstalling the engine. Aligning the engine to the trans is going to be very difficult without the trans being loose. Sorry to say it, but I'd slid the trans back.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 14
From: Airdrie Alberta
I really think the only practical way to do this is to pull the transmission away from the block which means disconnecting shift, mounts, cross-member, drive shaft u-joint.....yuck...
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,738
Likes: 53
From: Bogart GA
Done, dropped transmission and removed bell housing and pressure plate before lifting her out. Took about a day and a half to pull, disassemble to the point shown and bring to machine shop (Gary Grimes). I only removed shift handle, not the tower. May have to remove shift tower to re-install. I have to locate that roll pin....
The biggest pain was removing the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder. The bell housing I have is an aluminum/titanium unit that was purchased from Keisler when I purchased the TKO-600. Clearly this unit was design for a manual clutch. I was looking at some of the SFI approved bell housings to see if they have a larger access opening. I totally forget how I installed it when I first installed the transmission. I had to heat up and bend a flare nut wrench 90 degrees to get to it...
The biggest pain was removing the hydraulic line from the slave cylinder. The bell housing I have is an aluminum/titanium unit that was purchased from Keisler when I purchased the TKO-600. Clearly this unit was design for a manual clutch. I was looking at some of the SFI approved bell housings to see if they have a larger access opening. I totally forget how I installed it when I first installed the transmission. I had to heat up and bend a flare nut wrench 90 degrees to get to it...
