Well, I dropped a valve... not a good thing to happen to a beautiful set up. Gone.

I have pulled threads on the board which can be summarized in two ways:
1) Cherry pick the engine and Manual Trans through the top (remove the radiator)... not sure about the radiator core support.
2) Drop the LT1 through the bottom by releasing the subframe.

I'm not looking forward to this... any tips?

I have a full set of tools, my buddy's garage stall with a lift, a cherry picker (both options), and a swear jar. I do have experience with engines, but this is the first LT1 I've ever pulled.

Thanks.

 

pulling it from the bottom is how i have done it MANY times. much easier in my opinion as you dont have to take any wiring off until after it is out of the vehicle.

 

Drop the k-member

 

I've done it both ways.....

for a regular car dropping it out the bottom is the best way to go.

 

I've always read that its easier from the bottom.......Check out this site, it may be useful http://www.michiganspeed.com/enginepull/index.html
Hope this helps and Good Luck

 

It is way easier out the bottem. I have done it both ways and I can say with a lift I would never consider taking it out the top.

 

The absolute easiest way is to have someone else do it. If that's not an option out the bottom is the way to go.

 

I can pull it from the bottom, by myself, have it on the stand in 4 hours flat.

 

I've done it through the top but I'm going to give the bottom a try next time, it looks so much easier.

 

Thanks for the great responses! Sounds like the bottom is the way to go. I really appreciate the link too, very helpful.

 

In the link that looks like a HUGE cherry picker. It doesn't make it any easier to pull out the top even if you take the intake/heads/exhaust off first?

Hal

 

I used a normal 2 ton picker that I bought from Murrays/O'Reillys/Autozone and it worked great. Make sure you have the rear of the car up on tires&rims - they work as great stands and if you block the wheels you won't have to worry about them rolling off. If you raise the car with a cherry picker, the rear bumper will tilt way too low to the ground and will scrape unless you have the rear of the car up on the tires or something comparable.

And I fully agree with wrd1972. Having absolutely no mechanical knowledge, I was able to drop the kframe out in ~7 hours the first time I did it. After we installed the engine, drove it for 80 miles, realized I spun two bearings, we had to drop the engine out again. We backed the car into the garage at 10am and had the engine on a stand by 4pm. And that was working at a very leisurely pace.

 

Thanks, by the way, what is the Torque Spec for the sub-frame K member bolts? There are 6 right?

 

Swear jar? You will need a swear bucket!

 

I've dropped everything but the brake lines.

What do you do about those? Do you pop them off at the suspension then tie the lines to the body? Will this affect the ABS (air bubbles) when I reconnect the lines. Of course I will bleed them, but I don't know if there is a special ABS bleed procedure if air gets into that unit.

Help please.