pulling engine & tranny questions

[Ivan D.]

Well, I intend on tackling the job this weekend. Here's the game plan:
- disconnect all the engine wiring (check),
- disconnect long tube headers from the rest of the exhaust (check),
- disconnect tranny linkage from the shifter (check),
- disconnect tranny itself from the crossmember (check),
- drain engine, tranny & radiator,
- disconnect tranny cooler lines,
- remove fuel pump, power steering pump, alternator & cooling fan from engine,
- pull engine & tranny out!
- separate engine from tranny, put engine on a stand, put tranny back under truck's hood,
- take engine to living room to work on it.

How does this sound? Am I missing something little and tricky that can make my life miserable? Also do I need to remove the front part of the truck's engine bay (the sheetmetal behind the grill)?

[mustangracer]

I would leave the trans in the car and just unbolt the bellhousing and converter and pull the motor

[Old88]

Disconnect battery
Remove the distributor cap (otherwise it WILL crack).
Drop the Driveshaft
Install tranny plug (tailshaft)
Remove the Headers
If you remove the waterpump and balancer pulleys, you can leave the radiator in place, just remove the shroud

[midnite rider]

Expensive lesson learned, the radiatior is real simple to remove, No reson to leave it in there. One slip and its over.

[bowtiecb]

motor mount bolts

[Ivan D.]

motor mount bolts

Haha, completely forgot to mention those, lol.

Ok, radiator is out too, it's real easy to get to anyways as I have no shroud around the fan.

Mustangracer, I'd keep the tranny in, but it's going to be a royal pain to line up the torque converter splines when installing it back, and also those bellhousing bolts aren't too easy to get to either. This way I can inspect the tranny mount too, replace if necessary.

A slight offtopic question - the tranny crossmember is shaped so that the exhaust on the driver side passes above it, but on the passenger side the pipe has to go only under it which makes it hang too low. Yep, you guessed it, someone hit somethinmg with it, and now the pipe is decently flat. Is there some double-hump crossmember that will allow me to run the dual exhaust straight back from the headers, without making kinky bends and turns so the passenger-side pipe clears the crossmember?

Edit: tranny plug for the tailshaft, where do I find that?

[topcop38]

i wouldn't pull the trans. it shouldn't be that hard to get the bell housing bolts out in a truck and re-installing the convertor is easy. it has to be re-installed either way if you unbolt the trans from the motor.
did you remember to unhook your tranny fluid lines? you don't have to remove the fuel pump. theres enough room to get the motor out with it on. i would unbolt the headers at the motor too. leave them hooked up to your exhaust. your kinda 50/50 on that one but i usually leave them in.

[chevydad]

Mustangracer, I'd keep the tranny in, but it's going to be a royal pain to line up the torque converter splines when installing it back, i

you do know it's not like a clutch, you install it in the tranny then after the motor is in place it bolts to the flexplate. a clutch is just the opposite.

[Old88]

Just unbolt the converter before yanking the engine.
Leave it in the trans.
When installing the engine, bolt it to the trans,
then slide the converter forward
and bolt it to the flexplate.

you gotta support the trans from dropping

[Old88]

You can use a crossmember out of a 73 or 74 truck
These had the double humps

[Ivan D.]

you do know it's not like a clutch, you install it in the tranny then after the motor is in place it bolts to the flexplate. a clutch is just the opposite.

Daaamn, I'm a moron, I remember a friend having problems with lining those up, but now that you mentioned it he never really unbolted the converter from the flexplate. Go figure.

Okay thenm, so tranny stays in truck and will be supported by the bellhousing with a 3-ton jackstand.

Will it be easier to pull the engine if I remove the heads and the intake? It has to be done anyways, so if I do it prior to pulling the engine it'll be much less weight to handle with the cherry picker. Then I can just bolt the chains to the block and lift only that, right?

[81hvychvy]

I'd leave the heads on. Just pull the intake and put wrags down in the intake ports on the heads... just to keep crap out of em

[76 stepside]

Double hump crossmembers came on other years, my 76 has it. It orginally came with a manual, don't know which other trucks to get double hump out of. Then the problem is getting it out and putting it in. When I did my frame I took the lower brackets off and the main piece of the crossmember is not coming out without alot of work trust me.

[gdawg383]

heres a good tip that makes removal easy take the hood off 4bolts and you wont have a need to take off the front fenders or the core support and grille another is to get a engine lift plate this bolts on to the intake and has 3 holes put the cherry picker hook on the forward hook and the whole motor will almost jump outta the truck

[Ivan D.]

Double hump crossmembers came on other years, my 76 has it. It orginally came with a manual, don't know which other trucks to get double hump out of. Then the problem is getting it out and putting it in. When I did my frame I took the lower brackets off and the main piece of the crossmember is not coming out without alot of work trust me.

Hi 76 stepside, well my truck also came with a stick, the 350-350 combo I have now is a conversion someone made before I get the truck. Guess the stick doesn't make such a difference, I'd expect the to be more important - my truck left the factory with a V6, what was yours equipped with?

About the crossmember - seems the single-hump one is mointed to the frame from the driver side, the narrow end slides into the passenger frame rail, while the "humped" end goes around the driver's frame rail. Therefore removing it should involve only disconnecting the tranny mount, loosening 4 bolts on each frame rail, then pulling it to the left of the truck. How does the double-hump crossmember mount to the frame, you mention some lower brackets - is it not one piece?

[Ivan D.]

Gdawg, the engine is down to bare block with heads and valve covers now (no intake, no accessories, not even a water pump), so hopefully it will come out without having to take hood off - I took the hood off my Lincoln when I was installing the Boss 429 scoop, it was a royal pain aligning it back after that, and it's aluminum on top of that. But I'll keep your advice in mind in case I get stuck.

[smashingchuck]

Gdawg, the engine is down to bare block with heads and valve covers now (no intake, no accessories, not even a water pump), so hopefully it will come out without having to take hood off - I took the hood off my Lincoln when I was installing the Boss 429 scoop, it was a royal pain aligning it back after that, and it's aluminum on top of that. But I'll keep your advice in mind in case I get stuck.

trace the outline of the hinges onto the hood before removal.

[Ivan D.]

trace the outline of the hinges onto the hood before removal.

Yeah, I've learnt my lesson I actually noticed some marks around the hinges, so hood has been off before, probably for the V8-auto transplant.

On my progress - engine is currently held in place by only the two bolts for the motormounts, everything else is loose. My friend with the cherry picker took off to NY though, so actual pulling the engine will happen some time next week.

[81hvychvy]

I pulled my straight six out today... Not too bad, I didnt have to pull my hood. With the six being so narrow, one I got high enough I just turned it sideways and slid it out. Man talk about a dirty engine bay! The rocker covers had been leaking for a while, and all my teenage off-roading (not a good idea in a 2wd with a six! LOL) Anyways, wish you luck.

[MotorHead Lon]

I started pulling the motor in my 84 today. I took the hood off, but before I did I drilled a small(tiny)hole near the last bolt in the hinge. The hole goes through the hinge and into the side of the hood. When I put the hood back on I will put the drill bits back in the holes and the hood will be aligned or close to it. I'm also pulling the motor and trans together. I have to replace some seal in the trans but I would pull them togther any way.