Ok, here goes. Pulling engine tomorrow! 351C. I originally planned on taking the engine out separate of the tranny (fmx). Removed all the bell housing bolts, ready to go right? Should separate with a slight angle? So is that the best way to go? Or should I reattach a couple bell housing bolts and drop the driveshaft the remove the two together? What about the starter? The rest is coming out later anyway, but since I am working solo, I figured engine only would be easiest. Thanks for any advice.
It has been easier, for me to pull them both together. Once you get the engine out it is not that easy to handle the tranny separately. Anyway, if you are going to pull the motor separately you should remove the torque converter/flywheel nuts and of course the starter.
I would pull them both at the same time. Make sure everything is thouroughly drained and checked twice and drained again. If you think you got it all check again so there is not a big mess on your floor.
Also be sure that your hoist is up to the task of pulling them both, last thing you want is for it to tip over and crush your header panel, a fender, or for the tranny tail shaft to go through the windshield. An engine leveler will also be instrumental in removing the whole setup, just bolt it to the 4 corners of the intake manifold and yank that sucker outa there.
Thanks all for the good advice. Think I'll get some extra hands and pull it together. Using a ceiling hoist chain, so no tipping, just gotta push the car out from underneath
We left the transmission in when we pulled the motor out of my 67 last year and it was a little of a bear. I wanted to pull the transmission at the same time, but my more knowledgible friend that was helping me got a but lazy when he saw we'd need to remove the e-brake cable and a couple of other things. Now that I am putting the engine back in I can say that it would have been a lot easier putting the engine back in the car with the transmission attached since there's a lot of shimmying around to try and put it back in with the transmission in the bay while trying to get it in the motor mount spots.Had to drop the transmission mount anyway just to get the engine in right and now I have to try attaching the transmission in there.
I'm gonna take the other side in this; unless you need to remove the trans for some reason, it's much simpler to just take the motor and leave the trans in the car. You will need to block under the trans with a jack, and also provide some way to support the front of the trans if you have to move the car around after. This avoids removing driveshaft, crossmember, rear mount, cables, linkage, draining trans, oil spills, etc. Reversing, stabbing the auto trans is trivial usually; if you have trouble with that you can fab a couple short headless bolts to use as guide pins (threaded into the block a few turns, then removed after they are mated). If the front mounts aren't clearing it means you don't have the front of the trans high enough.
I was going to remove the rest later anyway. The tranny is going to get a fresher while I'm building the motor. Taking everything off this car, scraping the undercoating, such as it is, down to bare metal, and using Chassis Saver on a clean underbody. Also spraying it between the rear quarter panel and inner wall, torsion boxes, you name it. Powder coating the rear axel and diff. Leaf springs (which I am ordering new), basically redoing everything.
When I yanked my motor I had the intake, heads, and exhaust manifolds already off the motor. Left the trans where it was. The way I figure it is I can easily drop the trans the rest of the way if it's that much of a pain. I don't think our engine hoist could have done them both anyway.
If you're working this by yourself - I'd just do the engine. It will be quite a challenge to move the engine + trans around while working the hoist/lift/jack. Also, give yourself plenty of overhead room, as you remove the weight of the engine expect the front of the Ranchero to raise up several inches. And you'll need to clear that additional height over the radiator support. Trying to do that with a tranny attached and 700+ lbs of weight swinging around AND work the lift/hoist - could get to be quite a handful!
Actually make sure you have plenty of room everywhere and make sure there isn't anything that you can possibly trip on like nuts, bolts, or even tools (seems simple but when your there and everything is swinging in the air it's easy to forget the little things). Pulling the engine AND tranny together will be a handful but it is doable by yourself. Once you have everything unbolted and just about ready you may want to let the air out of the front tires in order to get that little extra bit of clearance to get everything over the front of the car.
Pull em both I would go with pulling both. Didn't have a problem with mine solo, but did have a leveler to aid in removal, Was also handy on t he return trip.
It's out… Engine is out!! Thank you all for the great advice all around. I pulled the engine and left the tranny in the car. I am planning on taking out the drive train tomorrow. I am glad I did it this way, it slid right out, up and over (no deflating tires) and straight onto the engine stand. If I had pulled the tranny as well I would have had to lower it all to the ground, dismount, wrestle the heavy tranny (with the torque converter in), etc. As it is, I just pulled the torque converter right out the front and will have a much lighter tranny to deal with tomorrow. A nice surprise awaited me!! Someone had rebuilt the transmission recently. Looked brand new, and had a new torque converter as well. I will have to look up the specs on it, hope it has a stall speed around 2500-2700, it is at least a 10" so the chances are good. Thought that thing drove nice - didn't feel like it had a beefed up shift kit, but I will have it all checked out. Thanks again.
Nice job there! If you do end up pulling the tranny anyhow you should be able to attach something to the top most bolt holes in the bellhousing and attach the hoist to that, this will save you the trouble of bench pressing the tranny from underneath the car and then wrestling it out.
Whenever my dad and I pull a tranny we usually put a couple of ratchet straps across the bell housing and the tail shaft while we unbolt everything. that way there isn't any bench pressing or a transmission falling on your head.
One note on using your garage ceiling trusses for an engine hoist is to make sure it can handle all the weight. Unplanned projects suck.
I don't think homeowners would cover that project. I've used my garage ceiling to hoist the motor and tranny, but I had to shore up the ceiling with 4X4's and 4X6's post and beam style. It's all still there.