When I pulled mine, I disconnected the bellhousing from the engine and left the tranny and bellhousing in the car (supported by a jack). I've had the tranny out before and it was always a trick to get the input shaft seated in the pilot bushing and I'm wondering how much of a bear it's going to be to do it now that I'll be coming at it "backwards". Any thoughts? I've already had
one suggestion of dropping the tranny so I could mate the two and then drop them both back in together (ugh - don't wanna do THAT).

I had the intake manifold off so I just used a chain to pull the engine out. My Happy Hooker is here now so I plan to use that to install it (I would really like to seal the intake manifold with the engine on the stand). Does the HH inherently drop the back half of the engine?

Thanks,
Rob
95Z28

 

Not sure about the HH. You could ask the fellas over at TPIS. I really think you'll need to just drop the trans, install the motor, then clutch, bell housing, then trans in that order. You might be able to get away with installing the clutch on the engine stand, but I've never done it so I dunno. I would grab a helper or 2 for the trans install. However you get it done, good luck!

JR

 

Remove the transmission totally...get the motor seated and bolted in first, then install the transmission. That would be much easier than trying to align a hefty iron block onto a small shaft.

 

Well, I think you guys might be right. I got the engine together with the intake manifold, happy hooker, flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate. I was able to manuever the engine into the engine bay but for the life of me I can't get the input shaft to seat. It is close but I just can't get the alignment right to get it to seat.

I've pulled the tranny a couple of times in the past and know the
realignment can be tricky. Right now I'm at the end of my rope and the only other plan I have is to pull the tranny, install the engine, and then hook the tranny back up if I have to.

I know there are folks out there that have pulled the engine and left the tranny (M6) in the car. Any advice other than the above?

Thanks,
Rob
95Z28

 

Man, that's a tough job. It took 3 of us plus a lot of muscling around to connect the engine and tranny. From what I remember, the tranny remained bolted up, I went in from the top with headers attached, had probs getting past the lip in front of the windshield because the hoist chains on the engine kept making contact.

Eventually got past that but the really hard part was lining the engine and tranny up. I had to get under the engine to align everything while my father and brother manuevered the hoist and engine from above. I highly doubt that that is a conventional way of doing it but within a couple of hours we had that crap muscled in.

Basically, be patient and careful, get some help or maybe go in from the bottom.

Good luck, daniel

 

Well guys, sometimes it's funny how things work. I spent several hours last night, with a friend's help, trying to get this thing lined up. I went out there by myself this morning, had it aligned and three bellhousing bolts completely seated in about 30 minutes. It's all downhill from here (KNOCK ON WOOD).

Thanks for the replies,
Rob
95Z28

 

so is it easier to put the tranny and engine in seperately? And do you put t he bell housing on the tranny, or on the engine? I puler mine out together, and I don't see how you could get to the bell housing bolts from under the car.

 

I'm going to be dropping my engine in here in a couple months. I came out the top. Did you leave your hood on?

I kind of like the idea of coming back in the bottom with the engine/tranny/wiring all togother, but I don't have anthing to lift the car with to hook the cherry picker to.

Not sure which way I'll go about it. I know I BARELY had enough clearance to get the engine out minus intake/dampner/clutch/flywheel...

 

Hood came off!

JR

 

How hard was that to get back on and get lined up?

 

Piece of cake - just take the hood itself off, not the brackets. You really can't go wrong. Only 1 way to put it back on.

JR

 

I have taken my motor out from the top 3 times now and I only had problems installing the motor back in once. The reason for the problem this time was because I had a new crank and bought a new pilot bushing and was having trouble getting the tailshaft into it. Other than that I just installed the motor itself and got the motor mount bolts started. Then just worked back from there with installing the clutch, then bellhousing, and finally the tranny. Once you have done this a couple of times it goes pretty quick. I think we had my motor and tranny installed in about an hour and a half. The trickiest part is definetly getting the tailshaft lined up and getting the tranny to slide forward. Basically we just use 2 people and you get the shaft started and then we just start wiggling the tranny while we are pushing it towards the motor. The only thing I suggest if you do install your motor and tranny this way is while you have the motor out get under the car and take a hammer or sledge hammer and beat in the tunnel where the tranny goes. When I say beat in the tunnel I am just talking about on the driver side where the top corner bolt of the bellhousing is. This bolt is a pain to get a socket on if you dont do this I have learned the hard way twice and it wont happen again LOL. Hope this helps a little bit and yes I took the hood off of my car too.

 

Good point about the top drivers bolt, that is a PITA!

I had to use a swivel socket on that and barely got it. How much of the engine was assembled when you dropped it back down in? I want to put long tubes on, I imagine I can't put those on then put it in the car.

Did you have the intake on? Hood on or off?

I like the idea of going bottom up because I can have the wiring all connected...may be able to do that top down as well? I don't know...

 

With what I learned from my experience, I won't pull the tranny with the engine unless I have to. Lining the input shaft up while installing the engine really isn't that difficult....you just need to make sure you understand how things fit together and visualize it when sliding them together.

I didn't take my hood off. I disconnected the hood air lifts and just tied the hood up (at about 90* angle) and that was nice and easy.