First Engine Drop-In Driveway & Solo.....

[nicfranc]

It's a Gorgeous day here in Oyster Bay and wiser men are out Biking, Playing Golf, Sailing, Gardening, BBQing & Drinking Beer.

Me ?.....I am going to attempt major surgery on my 1980Sc which now has a blown 2nd gear. (another story)

The Patient has been sedated and is resting comfortably.
The operating room (my driveway) has been prepped.

Cover me......I am going in.

[SC Eddie]

nice, have not had the pleasure to drop the motor yet,how high did you have to raise the car?

[nicfranc]

The plan is to pull the blown Tranny deliver it to Gary Fairbanks in Norwalk CT and have him work his 915 Magic and then get it back in and be driving in Two weeks.

LoL.....

Well that's the plan anyway.
and as a friend once said...."Plans are Cute"

Hey it can happen.
I read it in this Forum so it must be true.

[nicfranc]

Originally Posted by SC Eddie

nice, have not had the pleasure to drop the motor yet,how high did you have to raise the car?

I have not dropped the engine yet I am just starting.
I am actually typing while I am working. LOL

The plan is to disconnect all the required stuff then use a modified dolly on my floor jack to lower the Engine and Tranny. Once I get them on the ground I will jack up the car
from the sides using the two floor jacks under the jack pads.

I plan on going real slow and have additional jack stands for safety.

Anyone who has any advice feel free to jump in.

[nicfranc]

I am using the jack pads from Pelican and using my two floor jacks to raise the car.

I will have to either use blocks of wood on the jacks or under them to be able to get the car high enough to roll the engine & Transmission out from under the car as I am NOT removing the bumper.

Once I get the car high enough I can put my large jack stands under the torsion bar covers and remove the front ramps and tip the front of the car down which should pivot the rear up enough to roll the engine/Trans unit out from under the car.

I have to find some appropriate wood blocking for the jacks and jack stands.

[nicfranc]

After jacking up car the first thing I did was I
removed the AC which makes it a lot easier to work.

I will not reinstall it as my car is a Targa and I usually drive sans top.
I will hang on to it in case I sell the car some day.

[scotricker]

Don't forget to post the required pic of yourself standing in the engine bay !

[nicfranc]

Since I am not using a low profile hydraulic floor jack or an ATV jack.
I need to modify the Dolly(s) I have on hand.

I had some extra wheels laying around so I am thinking of installing them on one of my dollys and adding a piece of 3/4" x 24" x24" Plywood to the top.

I will then screw some blocking to the top piece of 3/4" plywood to support the engine case and Transmission.

I am doing this as I go so stand by.

[nicfranc]

Maybe something along these lines that another Pelican had posted.
My car is a 1980SC with a 3.0 engine which has the round oil drain plate below the strainer so I would have to accommodate it.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

This is one project where it is really nice to have a second set of hands to stabilize the engine as it drops. One person works the jack, the other grabs the engine mounting bar to stabilize. Take your time to find the balance point on the jack under the engine tranny.
If you are doing it yourself, (I've stupidly done this a couple of times), have jackstands under all four corners of your engine/ tranny (I also always used a rectangular piece of plywood under it- so thats why I say 4 corners) so it can only drop a couple of inches at a time before settling on the jacksstands/ supports. What I found is that the engine will tilt (caused by any uneveness in the car jacks' position under the engine/tranny), the jackstands/paintcans/whatever catch it, then you can let the jackstands take the load, clean out your pants, take a breather, and reorientate the jack position to be better located under the engine/tranny balance point. When the jack is in the center balance point between the engine and tranny, it really is pretty easy to balance and move, but when it's way up high in the air, you really want to think out your stands beneath, being done in several small steps as opposed to one large one. Especially by yourself.

oh yeah, remember to disconnect the transmission shifter linkage before dropping! And be ready for the transmission shifter itself to get caught up in the tunnel as you drop it- so pulling it might require an element of pulling back on the whole engine/ transmission as it goes. Also be ready for stray cables/ tubes to catch and throw the whole thing off balance. Ask me how I know all this!
Good luck.
Ron

[nicfranc]

Thanks for the guidance as I am flying by the seat of my pants here.
Unfortunately it is just me so I am trying to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

I have dropped dozens of VW bug & bus engines but this is nothing like those.

What do you think of the guys who take off the wheels and lower the car right down so the engine is 2" above the dolly then lower it the last two inches with the jacks ?

[PrimeMvr]

Originally Posted by nicfranc

I will have to either use blocks of wood on the jacks or under them to be able to get the car high enough to roll the engine & Transmission out from under the car as I am NOT removing the bumper.

Remove the bumper. It's worth the small effort. Good luck and have fun! I love engine drops.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by nicfranc

What do you think of the guys who take off the wheels and lower the car right down so the engine is 2" above the dolly then lower it the last two inches with the jacks ?

Interesting idea. I'm stuck at my house watching my 2 year old. I wish you had a live cam of all this. Would be fun to watch.
R

[poorsha]

First plan of action: BE SAFE (and take your time).

[E Sully]

Best of Luck. While I have done it both ways, I found it much better to work with the bumper off, you don't have to bring the car as high. First time I dropped I had a friend help, and it made it a bit more relaxing. Since I can be impatient at times, I have dropped and installed by myself a few times, but having someone there is worth it.
I met Gary Fairbanks a couple of years ago at his shop. He has a very intuitive knowledge. He was showing me how he knew the proper fit of the parts by feel before any measurement. Quite an interesting old shop filled with tools and parts.

[nicfranc]

Placed additional jack stands and chocked front tires
Disconnected Battery
Removed fuel Relay
Drained oil
Cleaned magnetic drain plugs and reinstalled
Removed rubber oil "S" pipe
Kroiled hard oil line. (Would not come loose)
Disconnected breather hoses to oil filler and tank
Plugged openings with paper towels
Disconnected Main Harness on left side of Engine compartment
Disconnected Main harness on Fire Wall by left shock tower
Disconnected electrical connection to the CDI box on left side of engine compartment

Breaking for food and a few minutes of the World Cup

[nicfranc]

Originally Posted by E Sully

Best of Luck. While I have done it both ways, I found it much better to work with the bumper off, you don't have to bring the car as high. First time I dropped I had a friend help, and it made it a bit more relaxing. Since I can be impatient at times, I have dropped and installed by myself a few times, but having someone there is worth it.
I met Gary Fairbanks a couple of years ago at his shop. He has a very intuitive knowledge. He was showing me how he knew the proper fit of the parts by feel before any measurement. Quite an interesting old shop filled with tools and parts.

How long does it take to remove the bumper ?
and how long to reinstall ?

A ball park Guestimate ?

[E Sully]

I can't say on an SC, but on my 1973 it was about a half hour to remove the bumperettes and center panel, which was all I needed. I also removed the 2 main side bumpers in a half hour for other reasons not related to engine removal. Not too difficult. I used the jack to keep them in place while I removed the bolts. Time could vary depending on whether the bolts are rusty or not.

[nicfranc]

Ok back to work.
I took a break to play some golf on a beautiful day.

Checked 3 times and everything is disconnected. (except for the hard oil line which is still under the influence of Kroil)
Took about two hours on the clock for the prep labor if you don't count the breaks.

I still need to finish modifying the dolly and getting some cribbing to elevate jack stands.
I will also use some wood blocking for added safety.

With the rear wheels off I was thinking of lowering the rear end, this way there will be less distance between the engine/tranny and the ground and I would have
a better angle to slide the transmission shift shaft towards the rear of the car.

Of course I don't want the car to roll off the ramps pinning me to the shed.
That would definitely affect my golf swing..... but think of how much gas i will save



I plan on using one jack for the engine and one for the transmission

[nicfranc]

OK Sports Fans I am back in business.

I had to soak the 30mm - 36mm Hard Oil Line connection for two days.

Removed the heat exchanger elbow to free up some room to work.

I then smacked it with opposing hammers a few times and used my 18" and a 24"
Stillson Wrenches (Pipe Wrenches) and it came right off. (Leverage is your friend)

Thanks to fellow Pelicans for all the guidance .
I am now Back on Point.