Hey guys. This is my first time removing the engine, and I'm getting stuck. I'm removing the engine and trannsmission together, btw. I can get the engine lifted, but the bell housing (I think) gets stuck on the firewall, and I'm having trouble moving the engine forward so that it can clear. Any advice? Could I have not disconnected something?

Thanks,
~ Colin

 

Leave the transmission behind.

 

jack the car up enough to tip the rear down and come up diagonally.

 

Never get it out without pulling hood, radiator/shroud, and rad support, maybe you have a BB, so that includes maybe removing the a/c condensor, for sure you need move it forward outta the way, when you remove the cross support....

otherwise the man is right, leave the tranny behind....I allways do...just plain easier....

GENE

 

I've got the rad, fan and shroud out, but I guess if leaving the transmission is easier, I wouldn't mind going that route. Where do I have to unbolt to seperate the transmission.

 

Depends on the tranny, automatics have 3 bolts through the flex plate into the converter, point to the rear,....of course the bellhousing bolts....6 of them...and the inspection cover I toss in the trash first thing...I find using vice-grips on the flex plate makes turning engine really easy for getting to the converter bolts....I go in where the starter goes....

the stick shifts have 4 large bolts on the bellhousing, pull it backwards, and/or maybe engine/bellhousing forward....you may be able to release bellhousing also at same time, easing the pain...but you need go further forward with engine because of that long shaft from tranny into clutch disc....

GENE

 

An engine leveler would help alot, it has to come out on and angle, also you can remove the motor mounts to give you a little more clearance, it's always an experiece the first time, so take you time it will come out then you will know how to it

 

Okay, I got the 2 pass side bolts on the bellhousing out. But both of the bolts on the drivers side appear to be inaccessible. The lower one is blocked by this little rod coming out of the transmission, and the upper one looks to be hindered by another bolt on the transmission that looks difficult to access.

 

Working alone, I had to separate the motor & tranny on my SB to get the engine out.

The BB & tranny went in as a unit though.

 

Pulled mine together. You have to straddle one of the front wheels with your cherry picker though. And yes an engine leveler makes life a whole lot easier, as it does need to come out with the tranny end tilted way down.

 

don't know where you are in the process but if you can take off the motor mounts completely that will help...

 

use a load leveler.

 

I agree you need the leveler, tilter, Whirley Gig, what ever you want to call it to pull them. You also need a good hoist. I have one with a 5' boom,when used with a good leveler, will remove SB with either type of tranny from the front of the car. Pulled engines both way and prefer to remove them as one. If you're not using a tilter and have a chain fall from the top mounted position then pulling just the motor will work. It's a bit of a PITA the align the input shaft that way though.
Gary

 

Absolutely, as this message and several others have suggested you gotta use a load leveler to make things really easy. I call them tilt bars. These devices are intended for lifting out the entire engine/bellhousing/transmission stack through the front of the car that is normally covered by the hood. When you start to get the engine loose and hoist it up a bit, you start dialing in a tilt. With the load leveler (tilt bar) you basically start tilting/lifting the nose of the engine up in the air, while at the same time you dial down the end of the transmission down in altitude. The whole stack comes out through the hood opening in a somewhat vertical attitude. You have to remove the radiator, but you can remove the entire stack with the radiator frame support still in place.

When I wanted to use my tilt bar (load leveler) I thought I had lost mine. My old tilt bar (made by Morosco) didn't seem to be in their new catalogs. Fortunately, my old tilt bar suddenly was found and I used it. I've since seen similar devices in catalogs, but I forget where.

I approached my car from the front(nose) with the engine hoist. Some hoists don't have the depth to reach back into the engine compartment because of the Corvette's long nose. I used a cheapy Harbor Freight hoist and it worked, although just barely. When I re-install my engine it will be with the front bumper missing so I'll get another couple of inches.

I once had a terrible experience trying to remove a transmission to remove a clutch with the engine/bellhousing in place. My personal preference is to remove the entire engine/bellhousing/transmission stack. If you can replace a manual transmission clutch with the engine and bellhousing still mounted in the car... good on you. I know a lot of people can do it. It's just not for me, especially since I do all my work by myself with no helpers other than my wife.

 

I agree with the load leveler.
I just pulled my BB out from my 69 with the transmission attached. I started out with the load leveler toward the front to take the weight of the back of the transmission. Once the back of the transmission cleared the cross member and dropped down I adjusted it all the way to the front so I could clear the radiator bracket . Once cleared the bracket I leveled it and pulled it out.

 

Here's what it looked like when I did it - the car was on jacks. The load leveler made it possible to pull the trans & engine as a unit.

Hook 'er up - I used 4 point fastening...

Tilt it to miss the radiator - creep the stand forward as you raise the engine.

Up, up, and away...

Piece of cake!

 

I've heard of guys forgetting to remove the ground strap over by the starter.

 

I recently did this on myt 73 -works great. Remove most of the accessories, unbolt the powertrain mounts and remove the driveshaft, remove the radiator, unbolt the top 4 bolts of the core support and loosen the bottom, pull the top of the core support forward then lift the motor out using an engine hoist capable of lifting 1000 lbs.