I'm preparing to pull my engine and trans (283 chevy/350TH) out of my 47 Plymouth. I would like to pull the engine and tranny together since I need to do a gasket job on the trans as well. My question is can I fit the whole package out of the hood opening? I would just pull the front end off but the whole front end is welded together...I think if I get the rad out and use one of those fancy engine levelers I can get it at engough of an angle to pull it out. Assuming I can get the hoist up high enough? note the molded front end...I'm not ready to cut it apart yet... just a little tight? Sorry for the crappy pictures...The old phone!!! Thanks in advance!
Example of why welding everything up ain't always a bright idea. You might get it out if you can jack up the car enough to drop the tranny down as you pull the engine up.
I'd pull the transmission separately just so you don't have to deal with all that weight and length. Plus you know the trans will dump a bunch of fluid out when you get it halfway out of the car, if it's hanging on the back of the motor.
Yeah I wish the front end wasn't welded on for this very reason...But thats what my uncle did to it back in the late70's early 80's so I'm gonna try to make it work for a little while, till I'm ready to do all the body work for the last time! Squirrel your probably right, I was gonna drop the pan before I pulled the motor to get most of the fluid out, but I do realize I will still have some in there! I just hate dropping a trans from under the car when I have to pull the motor any way.
i use a trans plug,cap the cooler lines and yank it. as mentioned earlier,you need to pretty much stand it on end to get it out. jack car up high enough plus a little extra.make sure its safe,i dont want to read about a car falling off the stands. that would be bad.
I got the engine (360 mopar) out of mine w/out removing any sheetmetal & there wouldn't have been a problem if I'd wanted to take the tranny out as well. As already mentioned just raise the car enough & make sure it's secure. Good luck.
Looks like all you need to do is pull the radiator cap the tailshaft of the tranny. Are you running a removeable tranny crossmember or is that welded in too? Take exhaust loose at manifolds,remove the alt.Should have plenty of room. Squirrel is right about pulling the tranny first,especially if you are doing this by yourself. If you got help to balance the tranny and engine taking out together its fairly easy. Doing it by yourself a different story. Be careful. Now after saying that here comes the guys that have done it by theirself a hundred times,piece of cake.
I used to pull them out together quite a bit, but not lately...I guess I'm getting slow and careful in my old age.
You still should be able to pull the doghouse off even if it's welded together. It's not that much effort to pull the bolts and set it off as a unit, and it will save you much headache if you want to leave the trans bolted to the engine.
If you pull the rad you should be able to get it out. It may end up really inclined before it passes the core support but you should be able to get it done.
The fenders are also welded to the body so thats a whole nother can o worms... The crossmember is bolted in so that won't be a big deal. Thanks for the help guys, and the words of wisdom on the safety! Thats one thing my dad always harped on when I was learning to work on my own cars "you only get one set of eyes, fingers, hands, etc." so I'm big on PPE in my garage!
I suspected that, this is one example of why it never made much sence to me doing things like that. I guess a sawzall could be employed to make it a tilt front end, be a bit heavy for tilting though!
I have a adjustable engine do-fliggy to balance the motor/trans flat or 45 deg.Im not sold on it unless the front end is off.What ive found out it realy takes up a lot of room and cuts your lift height from 4 corner chains and you cant put it right on top,you still have to turn the crank to adj the level,and at a steep angle that things almost 7ft up (CRANK AT TOP ) then and you have to crank it level to get the motor and trans out.I used mine once and left it on the motor an trans.I got a chain from Summit with a adj link set up $12.00 love it Other do-fliggy was $70.00...............YG
I know I know...Unless someone has an early Hemi to donate, I don't see myself chaning it up at this time...Just not enough cash flow...If you know what I'm sayin?
Thanks...Thats kinda what I was afraid of, I have an engine plate to bolt on the intake, and pull from there, I've pulled engine and trans 3 times in other cars and never had a problem with it that way, but always had the front end off.
Check out the thread work smarter not harder. They have some good ideas . I take them out with the tranny,but my host can lift very high(10').The last one I did the tranny plug came out mid lift.
Will do...Thanks That sounds messy, the last time I used a trans plug it came out repeatedly before I even pulled the motor, so I duct taped it on. My dad used to tape a doubled over trash bag over the tail shaft, but that still made one hell of a mess when you took the bag off!
Well you guys were correct I was able to pull it out all one piece, the whole thing would have gone way too smooth if I had remembered to put the plug in the trans as soon as the drive shaft came out! But if a 3 quarts on the floor is the worst thing that happens during this process I'll be in good shape! Thanks for the help guys!
I have pulled the entire complete front sheetmetal on my '40 Plymouth by myself in one piece...the trick is to support one side while you unbolt the other, and then slide the whole thing off with a floor jack under it...it's not easy at all to weasel the engine and trans out together through those narrow hood openings without bumping/snagging something...
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