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installing the motor

Dne'

Dne'

Well-Known Member
After having moved my motor and transmission in just a little area while on the hoist, it's pretty stubborn to move even on smooth cement! I'd like the car as low as possible when having this mass of metal in the air. Could I have the front wheels on the ground and the rear jacked up really high to get to the rear crossmember? Then bolt the motor supports in a little later? I'm a little nervous about this part! Suggestions welcome!! :bow

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Jacking up the rear is gonna give you a couple inches at best. It will allow for a little more clearance but does nothing for the "hunk of metal". I personally would install the mounts first and set it in. I wouldn't worry about jacking the rear but I'd DEFINITELY remove the hood.
 
Yes, it will make it much easier with the rear raised up. You could roll the engine into place and then lower the rear. You can also install the trans crossmember once the motor/trans are in place. Then as you have your helper (dont try and do it by yourself) lower the rear you can line up the crossmember and get your motor mounts lined up.
 
Are they being installed together? If so, you'll need all the help you can get so definitely raise the rear. If not, well, Rick would and I wouldn't. Maybe you need to ask Dave.
 
These suckers are going in together(I hope I hope)! Don't worry, I'll remove the hood :doh! If just all hell breaks loose, and they won't fit in together, then I'll separate them. It won't be for a week or so, going to Colorado for 7 days, we'll do it when we get home. Amazes me how small it all looks, but how darned heavy it actually is!
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Another idea, rarely mentioned, is to raise the engine/tranny combination to where it would clear the radiator, and then carefully roll the car towards the raised engine. Then you can maneuver the engine hoist only a tad while lowering it down.
 
yes Midlife

I was going to mention that idea, but I thought for sure it would have been laughed at, and here you bring it up! The only thing I have going against me on that is outter tie rods aren't connected and won't be able to be connected unitil I have some weight on the car to compress the springs. So I'd have to kick the wheels to steer it, but that is definitely something I'm considering! Thanks for bringing it up!
I just hope the ceiling in my garage is high enough too! My garage is fairly deep and I was thinkin moving my stang back as far as I can, then position the crane, then roll the car forward like you said. My garage doors will have to be down for the most clearance.

Yes fastback68, I read through that writeup, (photos would have been nice), but I got the general idea! So if they could do that with long tube headers, then my shorties are going to be attached too!

thanks ya'll!
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"Midlife" said:
Another idea, rarely mentioned, is to raise the engine/tranny combination to where it would clear the radiator, and then carefully roll the car towards the raised engine. Then you can maneuver the engine hoist only a tad while lowering it down.
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Six of us got together a couple of weeks ago to help Mike Garner drop his engine/trans back into his newly painted car. The front wheels were on the ground and the rear end was up in the air. You need the added height in the back for the trans tailshaft to clear the ground as the engine is lowered. Took us less than 3 hours to get the drivetrain in, install and align the front fenders, hood and rear valance, have a BBQ, and shoot the shit.

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FWIW, I've done the engine install in my 67 twice and I really prefer doing them separately (I have a C4).

When done separately, the engine drops straight down over the mounts...easy as cake.

Done together, it's the whole snaking it in there, trying to get the right angle, blah blah blah.
And I found that there was only one, extremely hard to find, sweet spot to get it to drop over the frame mounts.

Done separately. its real easy to slide the tranny under, jack it up, and bolt it up. There's plenty of room to get to the bolts between the firewall and the back of the motor.

It's an easy one person job.
 
All at once please

Thank you for that photo Jeff! That looked like fun! I don't think I even know 6 people that could possibly help! I'll just have Herb(my engine builder), maybe my brother, and Steve Stromann(a fellow mustanger). I am going to go ahead and put my shorty headers on.

Any ideas on the transmission lines? Should I have them on as well or can I install them later?

I thought about it Joe, and you're right, I could probably have stabbed the motor alone. It may come to that if this process doesn't go well. My main concern is my flaming river rack. It's wide/thick in the middle, and I will be really upset if I have to take that thing down! And then getting to the torque convertor nuts may be close with the rack in place. BUt looking at my photo further up in this thread, it looks like it may clear for stabbing both together. This is very new for me and it will get done one way or the other.
I do appreciate the input!!! :bow
dne'

"JeffTepper" said:
Six of us got together a couple of weeks ago to help Mike Garner drop his engine/trans back into his newly painted car. The front wheels were on the ground and the rear end was up in the air. You need the added height in the back for the trans tailshaft to clear the ground as the engine is lowered. Took us less than 3 hours to get the drivetrain in, install and align the front fenders, hood and rear valance, have a BBQ, and shoot the shit.

23791070198_large.jpg
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While I understand the advantages of raising the rearend to create more tailshaft/tunnel clearance, I've never done it.

What I have done (on every occasion) is as MidLife stated.... leave the car on all four wheels to allow it to be moved along with the hoist. The small casters on most hoists combined with the weight of the eng/trans makes it difficult to get any fine adjustment out of the hoist. Being able to move the car fore and aft is a GREAT help.

Dne', I really recommend that you don't attempt this alone. While it can be done alone, it's not the easiest thing to do. You'll need to be at least two places at once more often than not..... watching the tailshaft (so it doesn't impact the firewall) and opening the valve on the hoists' piston. You can't do both at the same time. Also, muscle comes in handy. While you look to have some, you don't look to have enough. It's times like these that weighing 125 pounds isn't going to come in very handy. Get hubby off the couch and coerce the local teenager off of his BMX bike for a few minutes when the time comes to help guide the motor into place. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to get the motor/trans up and into the engine compartment. Once it's in the compartment, you can dismiss everyone as it turns into a one-man show again as everything gets hooked up.
 
"joesgt281" said:
FWIW, I've done the engine install in my 67 twice and I really prefer doing them separately (I have a C4).

When done separately, the engine drops straight down over the mounts...easy as cake.

Done together, it's the whole snaking it in there, trying to get the right angle, blah blah blah.
And I found that there was only one, extremely hard to find, sweet spot to get it to drop over the frame mounts.

Done separately. its real easy to slide the tranny under, jack it up, and bolt it up. There's plenty of room to get to the bolts between the firewall and the back of the motor.

It's an easy one person job.
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I agree dropping it in without trans is a lot easier, but trying to get a trans in unless you have a lift can be a real PIA

I pulled my old motor out with out the trans and it does lift straight out (with the shorties bolted on)

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"Fast68back" said:
but trying to get a trans in unless you have a lift can be a real PIA
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It can also be dangerous. I knew a guy one time that his came out before planned and landed pretty much on him. It was dam near fatal.

I would think six folks would be something along the lines of "too many chefs" but a helper or two would be the way to go instead of trying to fly solo.
 
Brain overload!

Please don't worry, I won't be doing this alone! I've been loooking at transmission jacks(just in case). However, I'm feeling tenacious enough to put it in as is. I've got my back up plans just in case! If it just doesn't fit or it just doesn't go well(ceiling too low, rack clearance, etc.), I'll separate them.
Harbor freight has a lesser expensive transmission scissor jack that looks like it could be ok, for about 90bucks or so.

I need to wash clothes, be back!
dne'
 
Dne,

From your engine hoist photo.... you're going to need to run that lift beam extension all of the way out to the 1000 pound position (the last pin hole).

Also, your 8' garage ceiling should be fine.
 
"RustyRed" said:
It can also be dangerous. I knew a guy one time that his came out before planned and landed pretty much on him. It was dam near fatal.
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I'm all about doing things safely (got my first stitches at age 52 last weekend, and it was somebody else's fault :bash ), and easily.

I made my own tranny jack by simply bolting a piece of plywood to my regular floor jack. You just have to pull the pin and remove the little round cup and bolt it on.

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If you happen to catch me between jobs and working on the mach, I'd be more than happy to help you stab that thing.
 
Im a little late, but i support lifting the rear of the car. The higher you get it the easier it is, as long as you can get the engine hoist to move in ok. I used a four post to lift the back of my car until it just got close to the under carriage. Then the motor and tranny went in with no problems. I also had the motor mounts already fastened to the motor.

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