I've pulled my motor out of the top of the car 3 times now with the heads/intake still on, 1 time with the motor and trany still together. just use the happy hooker, best $40 i've ever spent. www.tpis.com sells the happy hooker.

 

Anyone have pics or details on how to drop the motor from the bottom.

 

I've pulled the motor and trans through the top with the hood still on, it can be done. To drop the motor out the bottom you need to disconnect all the sensors, there's a brake line that runs to the passenger front that need to be disconnected from the abs module, the regular brake lines also need to be disconnected, power steering resevoir needs to be unbolted, a/c needs to be disconnected, disconnect the fuel rails, disconnect the transmission linkage, disconnect all the coolant hosed and lines, unbolt the upper shock mounts and i think that's everything. Then put a jack under the trans and unbolt the trans crossmember, then put a jack under the cradle and there will be three bolts on each side and lower it slowly looking for any binding points.

 

ya gotta take stuff off anyways so might as well take it out of the top. It doesnt take as long either.

I heard when you drop it throught the bottom that you have to take the tranny, axle, wheels and the whole 9 yds with it.

 

Yeah well the mechanic that told me it was utterly "impossible" was being a ***** anyways. He never wants to work on my car so I always end up doing it myself. I just wanted to know if it could be done and I knew I could ak you guys! Thanks for all the input

 

having done five or six motor swaps in lt1's-ls1's, the last and only being out the bottom i will tell you that it is A LOT easier than pulling it out the top. You don't have to disconnect the exhaust manifolds and y-pipe, don't have to disconnect the accessories from the motor, don't have to worry about smashing the motor into the front of your car....the list goes on. I dropped mine out the bottom in about two hours.

 

Definetly can be done, i'd recommend doing it out the bottom though.

 

Leave the tranny in the car supported on a jack and it will come out the top with a Happy Hooker and less the front accessories.If ya take off the front clip ya can get engine AND tranny out together.

 

you can get them out together without taking off the front clip

 

Maybe so,just my picker won't reach with that much weight.

 

nor does mine, I've pulled the motor and trans in the 250kg position all times and never had a problem, i always becareful though and don't stay under the motor/trans.

 

Mine needs counterweight-- it wants to do a wheelie.
I added a piece of box tubing(4") to make it reach just the engine with the Happy Hooker and the nose clip on and it don't like it that far out.
Need to do like the crane's I work on and make it a series 2 with extra counterweight and a new load chart.

 

i prefer going from the top. Do not have to even drain the AC since condensor can be left alone. Also no need for alligment or anything like that.
Marcin

 

hmmm, ive done this several times and never drained the a/c. unbolt the compressor and move it out the way with all the lines still hooked up. undo driveshaft, tranny crossbrace, brake lines, sensors, shock tower bolts, kmember bolts and i think that is about all that we have ever done, and like i previously said, we used a creeper with some 2x4's stacked on it to support the motor/tranny/kmember