What is involved with pulling the engine? I have a '75 350 L48 all stock with 99960 miles on it. It has never been touched. I want to pull the engine and have it rebuilt and I was wondering on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard is it to pull my engine out. Also any suggestions for things I should do while it is out? I plan on putting in a new cam, intake, headers and true duals. What else needs to be done or more to the point what absolutely has to be done while the engine is out and what can I add with it back in.

 

geez, ron! how much do you WANT to do? this is really a kind of vague question. your skill level is going to dictate how difficult it will be. i will assume that you are like most of us and pretty handy with the tools in your tool box. i would say that engine extraction and reinstallation would rate about a 7 or 8 on the scale of difficulty working on our vettes. (just had mine out about a month ago) you have an engine hoist, i assume, or at least access to one? you will have to get the engine from the side unless you have an A-frame type. since a c-3 is technically a mid engine car, there is a whole bunch of car in front of the motor that won't allow you to use the 'cherry picker' type. this means that your garage/shop/driveway will need to be flat, clean and open. you will have to support the tranny after the engine is unbolted.
whew! so many things, so little space. there's a bunch of things you'll need to do but considering the aforementioned, if it all applies, i would say go for it. the results will make all the cussing and swearing and bleeding your going to do worth it.

 

I have mine out for the second time. I use a cherry picker and pull it from the front. I remove the hood, fan and water pump, exhaust manifolds and all accessories. I then unbolt the starter, torque converter, and trans (I have an automatic) and support the trans with a floor jack. I pull out the distributor and remove the carb. Discontect the fuel lines and plug them. Unbolt the motor mounts. Now she is ready to come out.

 

Ron, It's not bad. I pulled my engine, by myself, inside of an evening (six hours--with a learning curve).

Now that I've said that, let me clarify. My car does not have A/C (hooked up). Also, I've pulled the alternator, fan, etc., so many times, that I could do it in my sleep.

You have to pull the hood, no big deal. This takes fifteen minutes. Less if you have a helping hand. You have to pull the radiator. On my car, a '77, this only takes about a half hour, if that. I understand pre-77's can be a bit harder. I have headers, they come off in less than ten. Pulling the carb is a joke.

My biggest hassle, came from freeing the engine mounts. Mine were rusted beyond belief. Freeing them took some time. This was the hardes part.

Putting the engine back in, was much easier. At this point, everything is new. So there is no greasy mess or busted knuckles. If it took me six hours to pull the engine, it only took two and a half to put it back. I had the help of a friend, and we moved quickly. He had done it before, so his experience was very helpful.

My advice would be this:

1. Keep your tools organized. I spent at least an hour, if not more, searching for one tool or another that I set down and forgot where I put it.

2. Buy a few permanent markers, Sharpies, and a box of Glad sandwich bags. Then find a nice long box. For every step, everytime you remove something, place the hardware in a bag and label it with the Sharpie. Then place the bag in the box. If you keep the bags in order, when you go to install the engine, the first bag you see, will be the one you start with (the last bag filled). Then you just work your way back. When you're done with the bags, you should be done with the job.

3. Take pictures. Take pictures of the engine bay, in segments, before you touch anything. Then take more pictures as you go. This way, you'll have something to go back and reference, should you run into trouble.

4. Take detailed notes. When you're looking at this stuff, it seems obvious, oh yeah, this goes here, that goes there. But when you actually go to put it all back together, nothing seems familiar, and little makes sense. If you take notes, this should not be a problem.

5. Stop when you've had enough. Know when you're tired, and walk away. If you try to do too much, you'll break things and get hurt. Make the job fun, not a chore.

6. While you're in there, clean it all up. You'll never have a better opportunity to reach these spots. I stripped it all down, degreased it all, repainted, and placed new decals.

7. Unless money is limitless, try to stick to a budget. It's easy to have an inexpensive job blossom into a money pit. My budget rebuild turned into a job costing "several thousand" dollars. I haven't gone back to look at the receipts and add it up. Then again, I'm not even done yet. I initially intended to spend $500 or so, and just refresh the rings and bearings, maybe the cam too. Then, one thing led to another...:U

If you run into snags or have questions, you know where to go. This site is great.

 

Thanks guys. I have never attempted something this big but I am leaning towards it. I have a shop that will rebuild the enging and do the break in and dyno it but I have to pull the engine and take it to him. I'll let you know what happens. Joeveto you are absolutely right, this place is a great source of info! :yesnod:
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Go for it.