Putting engine in

I am about ready to drop the engine in, and I want to hear how you have done it. I really don't want to bang up any paint, so I want to research first.

1) Do you put the engine and tranny in together? 351C and 4 speed here.

2) Do you mount the motor mounts to the engine and drop it in, or put the motor mounts on the car and set the engine down on them? (On the motor equals less alignment problems and more scratches, putting on the car first is the opposite.

3) Do you use the factory lift hooks to lift, an intake plate, or a diagonal chain to the cylinder heads?

4) Do you install all the z-bar components after the engine is in, or put the motor side mount on before the drop?

5) Do you invite your friends over, or make them stay away?

Thanks for any input!

kcmash

You're more likely to scratch or ding something putting both in at the same time. If you don't have a transmission jack or can't get the car high enough it can be very difficult to get the transmission in.

I would put the mounts on the car/crossmember first.

I use an engine leveler with the chains on both sides front and rear. The engine leveler makes it much easier when installing engine and transmission at the same time.

You should be able to put the engine side mount on first.

An extra set of hands, from someone that's not afraid to get their hands dirty and knows their way around a car and tools, can be a huge help. Wait until it's in to celebrate with a cold one.

first the best thing is remove all front end body work.

drop the front bumper, drop the grill, take off the hood, remove the fenders. yes it is more work but it shouldn't take you too long to get all the sheet metal off and avoid an accident plus you get more clearance and makes it very easy to work around the engine and aprons. rad out as well.

1) engine and trans together is easier you can get all engine parts on like the exhaust mainifolds starter,, etc... belts and pulleys put on after install.

you will need to loosen the parking brake cable and drop it down under the car. you will need a load balancer for the engine crane. that allows you to rotate the engine and trans for a high angle over the rad support and drop it into the trans tunnel.

2) i mounted the rubber engine mounts to the engine, then lowered the engine in and shifted it around so i could get the bolts through when it was in. then floor jack for the trans so i could get the cross member in with the mounts. you will have to jiggle things around or even loosen the engine mounts on the cradle to get enough movement.

3) i used the L brackets from the load balancer chains and bolted the 4 corners of the intake manifold. i loosed 4 bolts for those brackets.

here is a photo of me installing my engine



front end just before install



engine in starting to install belts and pulleys, ran into issues with my original parts turned out my fan pulley was bent bad and i needed to get a replacement.



and my buddy helped me lift the hood back into place.



you will notice i took the wheels off the car, we needed to lower the car at one point to get the clearance right. it is a lot of jockeying things around.

this photo was taken a few hours later i put the body work back on.



A Friend is a good idea you may need backup one guy working the crane as you check clearance. you will be dancing back and forth quite a bit.

took us the morning to get all the trans and some accessories on the engine. the afternoon was problem after problem we got it in around 3-4pm then my buddy left and i worked until about 9-10pm and called it a day.

.

I do the following:

install z bar after

Use tilt bar as described

Bolt mounts to engine

Do not bolt exhaust manifolds on.

install clutch and bell housing

Run a tap thru the exhaust bolt holes.

Have the engine horizontal

Push it into position over the engine compartment.

Drop it down SLOWLY around 2 feet.

Tilt the rear down around 6 inches.

Drop it down until it almost hits the mounts

raise the rear of engine around 3 inches.

drop it into place

A drift may be needed to line up the holes on the mounts.

Install engine mount bolts and leave nuts loose

Jack car up and tighten trans and engine bolts.

Install cross brace

use anti seize on the exhaust bolts and studs

For an automatic and no lift I think putting it in as one unit is the way to go. With a 4 speed I think you can get it installed with the car on jack stands with no problems after you have the motor in place. Just install motor and bell housing together. A load balancer it definitely the way to go if you decide to do it as 1 unit.

I installed my 460 with the FMX attached by myself using a lift plate bolted to the manifold and a load leveler. I removed the hood and radiator. Like 72HCODE I had to remove the front wheels and lower the front of the car during install. I beleive I attached header to passenger side and installed driver side when the engine was in position but held up slightly for better bolt access. It took me about 4 hrs. It is alot of up and down checking for clearance but it is doable solo. With a competent helper it would have gone much quicker.

Thanks for the input.

I removed the Cleveland and FMX a unit with fan, pullies, etc in place.

It was a successful, 1-man jockey for the lift with no load balancer. It had quite a bit of drag on the way out, but I was not concerned with scratched paint at the time.

I do not have a tranny jack, and it has been a while since I bench pressed a cast iron 4-speed into place, but it looks like the consensus here is to do the tranny separately.

My car is in the re-assemble state, so there is no forward clip present at this time. I am confused on the "no exhaust manifolds" comment. I have always installed engines with the manifolds on after learning how easy it is to seal the H-pipe or Y-pipe to the engine versus aligning all the bolts and the gaskets on the manifolds after installation.

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I have done several with engine/trans connected together with no issues. I would bolt the exhaust manifolds on as there is room. Would also get some cheap moving blankets from harbor freight and put one on each firewall, one on radiator support and one on tunnel. Have a friend help and you should be fine.

About a half hour to get it on the mounts.

I prefer to put the transmission and engine in together. I was able to put a 5.0, AOD, and transfer case into my son's Broncos II as a unit several years ago, a lot less room to work in that engine bay than in our Mustangs. Take it slow and easy and walk around it looking to make sure everything is going in where it should be. Be prepared to crank back and forth on the equalizer several times.

My engine was installed sans transmission (toploader).

mike

Lots of good advice here. I've done quite a few of these and mounting engine & transmission together has always been the preferred method for me. If using stock exhaust manifolds (or shorty headers) I have also bolted those on before installing. I use heavy towels on both sides of the engine compartment and taped around the ends of the manifold / headers.

I have also raised the rear end of the car on occasion to help with the angle of the engine / transmission. One or two knowledgeable helpers goes a long way.

I always install and remove mine with the trans on. Me and my 8 year old make a pretty good team of it now!! He has helped me many times. He likes to run the hoist! I also leave on all sheetmetal, bumper, grille...... only thing removed is the hood.

On a recent 71, I was by myself. I had the rear axle on 27" Jack stands. Took off front wheels lowered it to just clear the hoist wheels. Had transmission, exhaust manifolds and motor mounts in place on the Cleveland. It went in right in with no wrestling. I like Jeff's idea with the blankets.

I like the blanket idea too. Great idea on raising the rear of the car too. I never thought to do that. I think I will have the old starter bench tested before I sling the thing in there too since that is quite a chore in its own right after the engine is in.

8-yr old helper? That is a brave soul......

I need to round up the hardware for the crossmember and the motor in line before I have the friends over to help. I will likely put the block side Z-bar mount on before the drop too.

I used to be able to do this in my sleep 20 years ago, but the game feels different now. Thanks for all the input gang!

kcmash

I like the blanket idea too. Great idea on raising the rear of the car too. I never thought to do that. I think I will have the old starter bench tested before I sling the thing in there too since that is quite a chore in its own right after the engine is in.

8-yr old helper? That is a brave soul......

I need to round up the hardware for the crossmember and the motor in line before I have the friends over to help. I will likely put the block side Z-bar mount on before the drop too.

I used to be able to do this in my sleep 20 years ago, but the game feels different now. Thanks for all the input gang!

kcmash

Click to expand...

Get a box of beer and a couple buddies and you will be fine. Its like riding a bike, you never forget.

My 8 year old helper has probably helped change more motors that most adults! LOL I trust him completely running the hoist, actually more than most adults Here is a pic of him when he was around 2 years old helping me with my trunk pan. Been in the garage his whole young life !

Good luck with your install and keep us posted..... don't forget the pics!!!!




PS. I know a good 8 year old welder too. Lol!

I did the engine and trans together (429 TJ motor and C6). What I did was use the engine crate and attach a lifting plate with the 3 rings on top of the intake manifold where the carb goes. I attached the crane hook on the front hole giving the right angle to enter the trans tunnel. This definitely will take 2 people in my opinion (One to work the crane and engine block and one to work the tranny clearance and raise up the tailshaft once in the trans tunnel)

I did have a minor scratch in the paint right on the shock tower from trying to cram in that big motor. I'd recommend covering the body in canvas or towels if you want to keep that nice engine bay. I just painted over the scratch.