engine install tips?

[egchewy79]

not quite ready yet, but doing some research on installing engine/trans.

found a few ideas and wanted to get a few more. I have a 2 ton HF engine lift and plan on using a leveler.

289 SBF and T5z trans. Shorty headers already on.



1)car on the ground, on jack stands, or on wheel dollies? I've read someone moving the car instead of the engine hoist.

2) should I jack up the rear of the car? I've read that this helps with the acute angle necessary to get the trans in to the tunnel

3) transmission A frame off or on prior to install? I've read both ways.



I've read to attach the engine mounts (making sure they're on the correct side) but to keep them loose for now.

anything else that i'm missing?

Thanks in advance.

[GoDadGo]

Lift the tail and either slide the hoist under or roll the car forward to the engine.

https://youtu.be/3f1Q4aS5SG4

https://youtu.be/Vhbftk4AP4k

https://youtu.be/-nVDzIjSjh8

It's like putting your foot into your shoe.

To say the least I had some extra practice when my block was found to have an issue.

[MSumners]

Certainly not an expert here but recently went through this.
I did it with the car on wheel dollies and moved the car instead of the engine. Didn’t lift the rear end.
All in all with 2 people helping it only really took a few minutes. For some reason I anticipated this being more involved but was quite anti-climactic, which was nice. I had the trans A frame already on the car and did not find it interfered with anything. I have a SBF 347 and tko600. Just inch by inch and it’ll go in smooth. I did not end up using a leveler, just the lift plate.

[RJD]

- I used wheel dollies and rolled the car beneath the engine.

- Blocks on top of the rear dollies allowed me to have the back end tilted up and still have the ability to roll the car into position.

- I found an engine leveler to be helpful since I was a crew of one.

- Transmission A-frame was out.

- Engine mounts were on but loose.

- Took about an hour and a half to install the engine by myself.

124690

124691

[Jeff Kleiner]

Headers off, mounts on, A frame out. An engine leveler is invaluable. Set the chassis with the rear as high as possible and the front low, just high enough for the hoist legs to pass under.

Approach from the front with the assembly level:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1942.jpg

Once you get above the X member adjust the leveler so that the tail is pointing down:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1943.jpg

As you get the end of the trans stabbed into the tunnel you'll start a 3 way manipulation of lowering the assembly, adjusting back towards level and moving it rearwards. Repeat the lower, level, move routine until you drop the engine mounts into their place on the chassis. At that point use a jack to raise the trans high enough to put the A frame in place and then lower it so that the trans mount is in place.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1948.jpg

Using the leveler it's a 10 minute job working alone. Really!

Good luck :)

Jeff

[GoDadGo]

Sir Jeffski,

Your distributor is in the wrong place!

Steve

[CraigS]

Last one I helped with we left the trans mount off. Caution, try fitting it first. That one had sprung a little when it was removed so the legs were a little too far apart. It was easy to fix at the work bench. Once engine/trans are in the trans will sit on the 4 inch cross tube. I put the rear of the trans mount on top of the tab on the frame. Dropped a bolt through to keep it located. Using the mount as a lever, it was easy to push the forward ends up (which raised the trans) and put a bolt and nut in to attach to the forward frame tabs. I am glad you have a levelor. It makes it super easy to do the continual angle change as Jeff described. BTW, put bearing grease on all points of the levelor. They are usually pretty cheaply made w/ washers vs bearings so the weight can make them tough to adjust.

[ThreeSpore]

Lift the tail and either slide the hoist under or roll the car forward to the engine.

https://youtu.be/3f1Q4aS5SG4

https://youtu.be/Vhbftk4AP4k

https://youtu.be/-nVDzIjSjh8

It's like putting your foot into your shoe.

To say the least I had some extra practice when my block was found to have an issue.

Hi Steve! thanks for the vids! they were great. What is the brand of engine leveler you are using?
thanks!

[ThreeSpore]

Hi Steve! thanks for the vids! they were great. What is the brand of engine leveler you are using?
thanks!

Never mind :D Found it when you did a close up later in a vid that I must have missed earlier. Good old harbor freight 2 Ton. Looks like it does the job well.

[CDXXVII]

Exactly just like this.


Headers off, mounts on, A frame out. An engine leveler is invaluable. Set the chassis with the rear as high as possible and the front low, just high enough for the hoist legs to pass under.

Approach from the front with the assembly level:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1942.jpg

Once you get above the X member adjust the leveler so that the tail is pointing down:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1943.jpg

As you get the end of the trans stabbed into the tunnel you'll start a 3 way manipulation of lowering the assembly, adjusting back towards level and moving it rearwards. Repeat the lower, level, move routine until you drop the engine mounts into their place on the chassis. At that point use a jack to raise the trans high enough to put the A frame in place and then lower it so that the trans mount is in place.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1948.jpg

Using the leveler it's a 10 minute job working alone. Really!

Good luck :)

Jeff

[BradCraig]

Installing the engine is really easy in these, surprisingly so. Just consider what you can't get to once it is installed and get all those items buttoned up first. Test fit your headers first, I had to elongate a couple of the holes to bolt up.

[Ducky2009]

A many said, front high enough to allow the lift to roll under. I used a motorcycle lift under the frame to do this.

[egchewy79]

accomplished engine install a month ago or so.
here are my personal observations

first of all, I thought I had a 2 ton HF lift. turns out it's only a 1 ton lift.
followed JK's recs to a T and had no issues except the reach of the lift, even extended all the way (1/4 ton setting) was not quite long enough. the ram/piston of the lift was hitting the radiator cross bar, still leaving me an inch or two from getting the mounts into the slots.
we had to remove everything and lengthen the chain on the engine to be able to "swing" the mounts into place after the lift was all the way advanced.
i was super paranoid that the whole contraption was going to tip since it was fully extended and the wt of my small block, headers, T5 was probably at the 500lb limit, so I had a buddy stand on the back of the lift for counterweight.
once the mounts were in, we noticed that the DS pin wasn't fully seated in the slot, so we had to jack up the PS from underneath and try to level the block.
i ended up using a block of wood under the front 4" tube made out of 4x4s screwed together to raise the front enough to get the lift legs under. I determined that having traditional jack stands under the side 4" tubes would have gotten in the way.
shorty headers were pre-attached with no clearance issues, although I did have to remove them to clearance the #1 and #8 spark plugs since i wasn't able to squeeze even a thin walled socket between the plug and header.
overall, it took about 3 tries, 3 dudes, 4 margaritas, and 2 hrs to get the drivetrain in.