LT1 ZF6 Engine removal question
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 86
Likes: 4
From: Hampstead NC
LT1 ZF6 Engine removal question
I've searched through a lot of the posts on LT1 engine removal, but cannot nail down whether the engine can be pulled without the transmission being removed for the manual trans. version ... we have followed the advice on the forum to date (and the factory manual), but I think the guidance given with respect to removing the engine without removing the trans. might apply to the auto transmission models rather that the 6-speed.
To date, we have removed all accessories including water pump, all connectors, harmonic damper, downpipes (headers are still attached), starter, oil cooler lines, slave cylinder and all transmission to bell housing bolts. We have an engine lift plate and we're ready to go ...
Are we wasting time in trying to get the engine out without removing the transmission first? We do plan to remove the transmission after the engine is out in any case, but it would make things simpler if we could get started on the engine first ...
Any thoughts or suggestions (and plentiful cold beer to anyone in SoCa near Oceanside who wants to swing by and advise!).
Tim and Tony Gordon (father/son C4 project)
To date, we have removed all accessories including water pump, all connectors, harmonic damper, downpipes (headers are still attached), starter, oil cooler lines, slave cylinder and all transmission to bell housing bolts. We have an engine lift plate and we're ready to go ...
Are we wasting time in trying to get the engine out without removing the transmission first? We do plan to remove the transmission after the engine is out in any case, but it would make things simpler if we could get started on the engine first ...
Any thoughts or suggestions (and plentiful cold beer to anyone in SoCa near Oceanside who wants to swing by and advise!).
Tim and Tony Gordon (father/son C4 project)
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 34,988
Likes: 515
From: Riverside County Southern California
Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
2018 Corvette of Year Finalist
2017 C4 of Year
2016 C7 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '20
Tim,
I live in Riverside County-
send me a PM with details and I could go by your place during the week.
I assume you got tools etc.
I live in Riverside County-
send me a PM with details and I could go by your place during the week.
I assume you got tools etc.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
Loosen the C beam bolts on the back of the trans, and unbolt the trans from the bellhousing. And put a floor jack under the front of the trans. The engine will come out with the trans in the car.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 86
Likes: 4
From: Hampstead NC
Many thanks ... I had read that on another thread (regarding a 4+3 trans) and hoped that it might work for us. I'm guessing that the refit is the usual engine install (minus the bell housing), and trans. (with bell housing) install after the engine install.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
You want to seperate it between the trans and bellhousing, not the engine and bellhousing. The T.O. bearing and clutch fork will keep it from coming apart there. So you pull the engine and reinstall it with the bellhousing on the engine.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 8,950
Likes: 4
From: Lafayette LA
You are going to have to move the transmission back far enough that the input shaft clears the bellhousing. There is no room to pull the engine forward as the balancer hits the frame when you pull the motor forward.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
I have pulled more engines out of C4's than I can count. And I have never had to pull the trans back. If you loosen the C beam bolts, you can jack the front of the trans as high as you can get it. Careful not to break anything, Then you can get a better angle getting the damper to clear the crossmember.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
You could pull the balancer off, but it's kind of a PITA in the car. It's much easier to pull the balancer/damper when it's on a engine stand. And it really isn't that bad to get the engine out with the front of the trans jacked up making a better angle.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
One other thing, I would pull the black plastic housing off the wiper motor. There are 3 screws that hold it in place. They can get broken pulling the engine if the valve cover hits it. Better safe than sorry. And it only takes a minute to get it out of the way.
