454 C3 Corvette

The engine is rebuilt, painted and ready for placing back in the car, I intend to lower the engine and gearbox together into the car engine bay on a hoist with easy access and lots of space around the car so will go in from the side.

I have the radiator out, bonnet off etc. so plenty of clearance; as the engine is on a stand and very accessible I decided it would be easier to add components before reinstalling in the car.

What I wanted a few comments on was how far can I go i.e. add carb, distributor and shields, headers, starter motor, oil pump, water pump and fans etc. before it will become difficult to squeaze in?

Comments very welcome.

Paul

 

No to dizzy. I wouldn't. Just too great of a risk of banging it against the firewall. Easy to install after.

Starter is probably fine. I could go either way.

Oil pump, oil pan, water pump, intake, valve covers...all are fine. Better to have them on.

I'd probably leave the carb off for the same reason as the dizzy. Just one of those expensive things you don't want to accidentally bang something against. Cover the holes to the intake with some blue tape.

Leave the fan off. Yes, it's a pain later, but I'd hate to have to work around that thing.

Alternator and AC pumps off. Just in the way.

Plugs out. Same as before...just one of those things you don't want to bang into something and break the darn thing off.

If you're running the "under shields" along the engine with the super long stock wires, I would probably deal with those outside the car. I'd put in plugs and get everything right, then pull the plugs but leave the wires and tape them up to the intake or something. I've never run them, personally, but I've taken them off and they're a world class PITA to wrestle with, especially with headers.

Check your cherry picker for reach. I had to fiddle with mine to get a LITTLE extra reach out of it to reach the middle of the engine bay, even from the passenger side. Mine is only a 1 ton unit, though. I think 2 ton lifts are a little longer.

Just my thoughts based on one engine pull and replacement.

 

Fuel pump off.
I would oil the wheels and bearings on the hoist to make it roll easier

 

Forgot that one. Yes. It is a ROYAL PITA to put on because of its proximity to the frame rail, but that same thing makes it ripe to get whacked during engine insertion.

Nothing worse than not knowing you cracked the mechanical fuel pump housing until it starts spewing fuel everywhere.

Fuel pump off.

 

If you wheel that over to my place, we can test fit it in my '82. No sense banging up your car.

 

With my '69 BB, I did engine and trans together also. Carb, dist., PS pump, alt, fan, plugs, headers, off. Pan on. I did have to remove the pass. side valve cover to clear the AC on the cowl.
The major problem I had was that the motor mounts weren't correct. They were too narrow to fit on the frame. I checked with 2 different parts houses and they claimed that the part # was correct. Finally had to pick through similar #'s to get the right ones.
Fairly easy with 2 people.

 

No fuel pump, headers or dist can be on the motor.

 

Thanks to you all for you comments.