I’m getting close to pulling the big block and TH400 out of my 73 Coupe.
The hood is off and the engine compartment is stripped.
I’m thinking of pulling them together if I can access the nuts on the u joint straps to disconnect the drive shaft.
I have the car sitting up on wood blocks and I can’t rotate the drive shaft.
If I can’t disconnect the drive shaft, can I still pull the engine and trans together by pushing them forward as I'm lifting with the hoist and let the tail shaft pull out of the rear of the transmission?
Would I be better off just separating the engine and transmission and pulling each separately?

 

Keeping the tail shaft in, if you can do it, will help avoid the mess of fluid running out the tail when you tilt the engine/trans to pull it.

 

You could disconnect the DS at the differential and slide the yoke out of the transmission.

As for pulling the engine and trans together, removing the radiator and support is necessary - at least having it out was needed for installation of my '72's 454/TH400. Your car will also need to be on the ground unless you have a super-high reaching floor hoist or overhead gantry.

Accessing the bell-housing bolts is a huge pain when installed in the car. Removal was piece by piece, but without a transmission jack it was a physical struggle, so that's why I opted for doing the reinstall as a unit.

 

This is a ton of weight. I mean a ton. Small blocks are heavy enough. But a BBC plus tranny could get really scary.

Can you strip it down to a short block? That would save a lot.

What is your plan on attaching hoist to the engine? I would not trust a Intake lift plate to lift all that weight by. Especially with an aluminum Intake.
Because the carb studs are vertical, all the weight tension is 100% on the bolt hole threads themselves. No lateral forces. Just vertical tension on the threads.

A better option is using 4 horizontal bolts placed on each corner of the engine. Either as a longer Intake bolt replacement or even an exhaust manifold bolt location.
That takes 90% of the tension off of a bolt hole threads.

Without the ability to rotate the driveshaft you are setting yourself up for misery later when installing everything. You need a plan "B" on the driveshaft.

 

Although an automatic C3 should have a removeable Xmember, I suggest you remove motor Separately. In-car bellhousing bolts are not that difficult if you remove distributor-shielding-sp wires first.

 

I second the concern with the weight and the current height of the car. I have pulled my small block and transmission out of my car twice as a unit and it was at a pretty high angle and height to clear. With the car on those blocks I doubt you will get enough height with a traditional engine hoist. You will also need to be on the last extension hole for the hoist, which is most like 1000lbs, so not much safety room there.

I would take the car off the blocks to pull the motor and tranny. You can put it back after to make working on it easier at that point.


PIA, yep. But better than the alternative if something happens, or worse, you get the motor on the hoist and have to put it BACK in when you can't clear something.

 

Pull the drive shaft and let the tranny drain. Then put a quality zip lock bag (zip locks) over the out put to catch the rest of the tranny fluid as you remove the engine. I have a heavy duty hoist and it was a bit scary since you have to come in from the side due to the long nose on C3's. Mine was a SBC/400 combo.
I jacked up the front slightly (rear wheels on the ground) and put jack stands under so the hoist legs would clear the rotors with the front wheels off.
If you don't have a engine leveler get one with the adjusting handle. Makes adjusting the engine angle so much easier.

 

So I guess I should have explained my total plan when I posted the thread.
I will be dropping the car to sit on the ground before I pull the engine.
Once the car is on the ground, I could raise it on the jacking points so I can rotate the drive shaft, but I was trying to get as much taken apart and removed while it’s up on blocks.
I’ve never used the intake base plate as a lifting point on any engine, small or big block and have always used the accessory bolt holes on the heads to lift.
When I say the engine compartment is stripped, I mean there is nothing in the engine compartment except the engine and the radiator support.
No exhaust, wiring, hoses, accessories, ac, shroud, radiator, cooling components, nothing.
Even the engine is stripped except for the block, heads, intake, distributor and carb.
This is for my body off restomod and I could lift the body then easily pull the engine and trans, however the painter wants the body left on the chassis with the engine and trans removed so he can check and adjust all jams and seams before he lifts the body and returns the chassis to me.
Before I drop the car back onto the ground I will loosen all bolts for the transmission crossmember, trans mount and engine mounts.
The entire exhaust and everything else has already been removed from the car except any chassis only related parts and I will be using a Harbor Freight 2 ton engine hoist with a load leveler.

I’m really trying to just figure out If I want to pull them together or pull them separately.

 

Pull separate. It will obviously take longer but a fully dressed big block is north of 700 lbs. Add the transmission and you are around 1000 lbs fully dressed. So figure 7-800 without heads/intake. Factor that in with also likely having to come in with the cherry picker from the side vs the front due to the length of the nose of the car thats alot of steel/iron to move in a spot you wont have alot of wiggle room particularly if your doing the work by yourself.

Also I use a load leveler with a either chain large enough to pull a bolt through or tabs attached to the end of the chain with bolt holes. Carb plates make me super nervous and I personally always use the accessory holes on the heads.

 

Me, I would pull them separately.

 

I used a load leveler when I pulled my SB and trans, made it a lot easier clearing the core support.

 

Just Jack up the pumpkin and rotate the tire to unbolt the drive line

 

Just Jack up the pumpkin and rotate the tire to unbolt the drive line

 

I thought of that too, but it’s already up pretty high and I would rather not be under it while it’s teetering on the pumpkin.

 

So I crawled back under the car today to see if I could get to the u joint strap bolts.
It looked possible, so I went to work with about 20 different wrench possibilities and was able to loosen and remove the strap bolts, and removed the driveshaft.
It wasn’t quick but I got it done.
I think I’ll pull the engine and trans separately.
Tomorrow I’ll run down to Harbor Freight and pick up a transmission hoist, loosen the crossmember and trans mount bolts.
This weekend I’ll try dropping the trans out.
Everything is disconnected so after I remove the bolts from the flex plate, and drop the crossmember, I’m thinking the trans will drop right out.
Any suggestions?

 

How tall is your ceiling?
Looks like mine, was 9'3"
I barely got the engine up high enough, with the load leveler, and the oil pan cam over the fender and the end of the hoist got close to the ceiling,
Even then I had to lower the car a little to make it work.
Pulled the left front wheel, and lowered the rotor almost to the ground, so the leg of the lift just barely cleared the frame.
It was pretty tight all the way around.
But it worked.


And I still got nervous with the 680# hanging over the fiberglass.

 

Yes, kinda. There's a welded snout ring on the torque converter that registers into the rear of the crank. You'll need to work the trans backwards about 1/2"-3/4". You won't be able to unbolt the flex plate but can remove the converter bolts that attach to the plate -- maybe that's what you meant.

 

I figured I would need to slide the trans back some and the bolts I was referring to are the bolts connecting the converter to the flex plate.
Thanks!

 

Good eye.
Our house was built in 1970 and half of the garage ceiling was finished for the firewall and the other half is open beam.
The finished half is 9’3” and the unfinished is over 13’.
If I could push the car back about 6’ I would be in the 13’ high area, but I also have a pretty steep driveway so that complicates things.
I’ve never used a load leveler before and if I’m just pulling the engine I may not use one which will shorten the distance between the hoist and the engine.
After seeing your pictures, I may just buy a leveler, shorten the chains and give it a try.

 

You are 90% there already. Drop the transmission, put car back on its tires and remove engine.