Ultimate SWB Engine Drop Checklist

[304065]

I'm about to drop both engine and transmission from my SWB 1966 911.

For those of you that have dropped an SWB engine, what peculiarities arose that are not covered by the below list?

Does anyone have any suggestions for workflow? I have tried to cover everything on the "top side" first and the "bottom side" last and work in a logical sequence, e.g. while the oil is draining you can be disconnecting other things, so oil is first.

Did I leave anything out?

Does anyone know the exact size of the oil line wrenches required? I think they are 36mm but I am not sure and PET does not say.

Thanks in advance. All good suggestions will be incorporated into the sheet.

CURRENT VERSION 2.0

[Grady Clay]

John,

Good list. Here are some additions:

Drain oil – now is a good time to inspect the sump screen and sump plate. Seal everything back up as if you were going to drive.

Battery - remove ground strap, 13 mm.
Shift coupling – Remove 4 Philips screws and cover plate. Remove coupling, 4 mm Allen (NOT 13 mm nut/bolt), pull coupling off shift rod.
Remove fuel line at pump or filter. Be very careful with spilled fuel.
Remove air cleaner assembly – breather hose and drain hose, cover carburetors.
Remove breather hose at engine.
Unplug oil pressure sender wire at sender.
Disconnect throttle linkage – pop off ball at #3 cylinder and slide off bell crank at transmission.
Disconnect wires
– Red B+ at relay panel, flat screwdriver.
- 3-Prong plug at voltage regulator/RFI.
- Blue fast-on connector near voltage regulator.
- Points wire at distributor.
- High voltage coil wire at distributor cap.
- Temperature sensor at sensor.
CV bolts M6 Allen or M6 XZN, there are three “moon plates per CV joint).
Remove CV joints at transmission flange and cover CVs with baggies and rubber band.
Clutch cable – need two 11 mm open-end wrenches.
Bowden tube support – 13 mm (reinstall on side of transmission.)
Heater hoses – push hoses up above the heat exchanger outlets.
Starter B+ - One 13 mm wrench and one fast-on connection.
Reverse light switch – pull the boot back and remove the wires one-at-a-time with needle nose. (The plugs are not polarized.)

Once the engine is out, use Cap-plugs to cover the oil and fuel connections.

Speedometer cable (27 mm open-end wrench).
Oil lines – 32 & 36 mm open-end wrenches.

The engine & trans mount hardware take 19 mm sockets, combination wrenches.

Make sure the engine tin doesn’t hang up on the surrounding gasket. Let the muffler end down first then pull to the rear to clear shift rod.

Be very careful to not damage the foam “mufflers” for rear window heating. They are VERY fragile.

Remove the oil tank for cleaning and painting.

That is from memory – it has been more than 20 years. I probably forgot something important.

Now we need to put good pictures with the list.

Best,
Grady

[Fidalgo911S]

John,

Nice list. I see you have the alternator for removal. Do you mean the housing and fan too? If so, I agree. Removing it adds a couple of inches of wiggle room and can prevent any hangups.

Nate

[Grady Clay]

I never remove the alternator for this operation. It is far better to keep it with the engine. The connections at the relay panel are easier.

Best,
Grady

[dhrcr911s]

don't forget the speedo cable, like i did last time. it holds up the whole process..

[GrantG]

Is the LWB list any different? How long does the removal take?

[dhrcr911s]

For Grady, about 20 mins, the rest of us, an hour depending on how hard the cv and other bolts are to get loose.

Grady, I remember coming into your shop on Broadway in Denver with my Dad back about 1975-76... I'll never forget the place..

[Vintage911Racer]

Rear Sway bar will need to be disonnected. Exhaust possibly as well. Depending on what you are running. You culd also remove carbs to make the drop easier.

[304065]

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the contributions. The revised version appears above.

Mark, I don't have a rear antiroll bar on the '66 but will add it to the list for those that do in the next iteration.

Grady, I'll be sure to snap some photos along the way. Thank you as ever for the thoughtful contributions, I knew you would have the wrench sizes memorized.

Nate, I was actually contemplating removing the alternator to remove the wires, but it is faster to undo them at the console. In my case, I'm dropping the engine so the car can go to the body shop, so everything is coming out of the engine compartment including the electrical console, but the list is generic.

I can hear my old flight instructor saying, "It's not a do list, it's a checklist, establish your flow pattern and then use the checklist to verify. The checklist is written in BLOOD!"

Maybe I should rename it the DO LIST!