I have to swap the heads and intake on the car. I'm also sending the Vigilante out for a restall. I've never pulled the heads, but since I'm having to unbolt the transmission anyways would it be easier to just drop the motor and trans out the bottom and do the work that way?

I wasnt going to swap the cam, but if I take everything out I'd be hard pressed not to...

-Dustin-

 

It sure is alot easier doing work standing up rather than laying on your back(unless you have a lift) or bent over the fenders.

 

Well that's the biggest problem, the garage at the new house has and sand/gravel mix floor. Right now use plywood do work on, and it's a pain in the rear. I'm just wondering if pulling everything out is worth it vs struggling with the big 4L80e transmission. I dont know how difficult heads are to swap in the car, but if they are, then screw it I'm dropping it all.

-Dustin-

 

I would drop it out the bottom too.

 

Well I bought a bunch of stuff off a buddy today that he wanted out of his garage: 2 ton Cherry Picker, 1500lb Trans Jack [Motorcycle Jack], 12 ton press, and a 1000lb engine stand for $150. I'm going to drop it all out the bottom and put the motor on the engine stand and start tearing it down....





































...in the kitchen, yes I'll be posting pics of the kitchen build.

-Dustin-

 

My step dad built an engine in his kitchen.

 

Must be an Ohio thing. Now if I was back in Ohio, I'd do it in the garage, but here in the Wild West it's so damn dusty I'll be buying a new motor in no time.

-Dustin-

 

dropping the motor and trans out the bottom is sort of the easyist way.
have done it 2 times already and when i have to replace the plugs i will do it again,nothing better than wrenching on your engine sitting in a chair.

 

You're going to pull your motor to do plugs?? Wow!

 

Yes, I wish i would have pulled my motor for plugs. Wasn't gonna fork out the $500 in labor for Pepboys to do it

 

I pulled the driver head in the car and supported the engine to drop the pan and replace a piston and hone the cylinder out. It was a pain in the *** but about the same amount of work/time. Anything more than just doing spark plugs or header gaskets or water pump/opti,....the engine comes out. It is definitely easier. I can have the engine/trans/k-member sitting on jack stands in about 1.5 hours in the shop with a lift.

 

I'm going to see how far I can get today after 10+ hours on midnights. I'm shooting for it to be out by 3pm starting at 10am. I hope my girlfriend rested up cause I'm going to put her to work today.

-Dustin-

 

Who rmebers that scene from the recent War of the worlds movie with Tom Cruise. The scene with the small block Ford on the engine stand in the kitchen. That was awesome.

But clearly you dont live with a "normal" woman if you manage to pull that off.

 

ground strap to body on driver side, remove p/s reservior and disconnnect a/c lines from expansion valve and lay reservior on top of engine, lay battery harness on the engine, disconnect the pcm and interior conenctors and pull through firewall and lay on the engine, upper strut bolts/nuts, remove the 2 front brake lines from the ABS module and move them where they can drop down freely with the drivetrain, loosen upper steering shaft bolt and remove the bottom one, raise vehicle, drivesahaft, torque arm to trans mount, crossmember, header collectors, 2 ABS conenctors, coolant hoses, trans. cooler lines from rad. if applicable, sway bar bushing to body bolts, knock the steering shaft off rack, support k-member and trans. with a rolling platform of some type, and pull the 6 k-member frame bolts (4 long and 2 shorts). Thats pretty much it, i left out air pump because I dont have one, or any emissions for that matter. Its cake after you do it once or twice. Good luck.