Its going in, exhaust manifolds are next. I thank everyone for the advice of installing engine/tranny together. It was easy.
Sure is purdy! I have never removed or installed them together, but I can tell you it is DEFINITELY difficult to get the trans and engine lined up and bolted up when one or the other is already installed in the car. I did not have enough head-room in my garage to lift it high enough to pull them both, in either of the garages I have used, so I was forced to pull them one at a time.
This was my first time I had ever installed the engine and tranny together, not a lot of head room either 8-1/2 foot ceiling. No struggles at all.
Both times I did it, I had the same headroom in the room, but the car was in the garage backwards, so the garage door was above my head knocking off another foot or so.
I've always taken the motor/trans out as a unit and installed the same way even doing this in a two car garage with limited overhead room. Just takes a little adjusting of the hoist.
I've done it both ways numerous times. Removing / replacing just the engine is easy with a manual trans. I leave the bellhousing on the transmission so that the release bearing stays put. I can see where an auto trans might be a PITA.
not a problem...have pulled a C-4 twice in one day...about 30 mins. and it's in the back of the truck...
I meant that I would think it would be a PITA to pull & replace the engine leaving the automatic tranny in the car.
It is a pain getting the engine aligned with the transmission. Definitely easier with a couple of people. A group of us just did this a couple of weeks ago during the Gathering.
If you have a lift and trans jack I would agree with you, but if you have the car on jack stands and laying on your back I'd have to say it's a PITA, at least IMHO
Auto or manual trans? When I reinstall the engine to my manual trans / bellhousing I put two studs in the top bellhousing bolt holes of the block to guide the block to the bell. Once the bell is on the studs everything just slides together in perfect alignment. I do the same stud thing when mating a tranny to the bell, two studs in the lower holes, once the tranny is on the studs they hold it up and you just slide it into the bell.
Putting an automatic and engine in/out of the car is a two man job, but not too bad....................also it's easier to set the converter gap and attach the converter to the flex plate out of the car rather than in the car............IMHO
