I installed my new motor this weekend so i figured id share a couple pics, hints, and tips. I'm not going to cover undoing the wiring harness, brakes, steering knuckle, radiator, and hoses since thats all pretty much self-explanatory.

From start until the subframe was out I was working entirely by myself with no help whatsoever.

To start I jacked the rear of the car up in order to put a cinder block under each rear tire.

Next, I took two small 2-ton jacks that i borrowed from friends and put them under each a-arm bushing. Then i slid my furniture dolley in-between them and began jacking the front until i had room for two 2x4 blocks(~8" long) stacked on top of each other under the left side of the k-member and the right side. This gave me a decent amount of room to get to the six 18mm subframe bolts.

Next, I unbolted the shock towers which was cake except for the one bolt underneath the master cylinder. Since i had drained the brake fluid i just unbolted the master to get to the last one, and then bolted the master back in place.

Then, I jumped in the car to unscrew my shift ****. And then I put my large 3-ton jack underneath the tranny crossmember and unbolted the six 18mm subframe bolts and four 15mm tranny crossmember bolts.

Then i took a picture!


Next i began jacking the upper radiator support(you may want to put a block of wood underneath it as i crunched the "lip" of mine pretty good with the chain from my cherry picker) and for whatever reason the steering knuckle didnt want to slide off so i'd pump the hoist once, tap the knuckle with a hammer, pump the hoist again, tap the knuckle with a hammer, etc until it came loose. At this point the body lifted smoothly off the subframe(keep an eye on those brake lines!)

so i took another pic!


Then, I put two cinder blocks under each of my 3-ton jackstands and extended them up as far as they'd go to the "frame rails" just underneath the front of the "trans am" door emblem, and let the engine hoist down.


Then it was just a matter of rolling the whole assembly out and wah-lah!


In order to get the old engine off the subframe and the new one on I needed a second person. Also, I removed the coil assembly and put one bolt in the front of the drivers side head, and one in the rear of the passenger side head for the chain on my engine hoist.

Putting the new engine in was relatively easy...I just rolled it back as close to in place as possible and hooked the cherry picker back up. Removed the jackstands and let the body slide down. I encountered one snag during this process which was lining up the shock towers and getting hte steering knuckle into place. I ended up lifting up each tire and sliding a 2x4 under it so that we could line up the shock towers before worrying about the steering knuckle.

Once the shock towers were in place we needed 3 people: one lowering the hoist, one with his fingers on the steering column guiding the steering knuckle together(unlock your steering wheel with your keys to make this job MUCH easier), and a third pushing on one side of the car in order to give the steering guy more room.

Once the body was on the subframe i bolted up the tranny crossmember, and then the subframe.

Hopefully this helps someone and feel free to pm me or im me with any questions.

 

Looking at the pics reminded me that I also left the power steering pump all together and once out of the car i ubolted it off the old motor and bolted it right back up to the new motor.