pull engine and trans as a unit?

[secluff]

Hemikiller Wrote:

I did plenty of parking lot tranny R&Rs in my early twenties by sliding under the car. dragging the tranny onto my chest and bench pressing it up into the car. That crap I don't miss.

Hemikiller, thanks for the memory jog. Been there few times when I could actually crawl and fit underneath a car!  

Had busted second gear in my 4sp 67 Mustang during a drag race. The base hobby shop was full of the usual assortment of Camaro's and Nova's  with the engines out for the upteenth time. So no way to go there and legally pull my top loader and repair it. Had a friend to be my lookout in the barrack parking lot while I pulled the trans and chest walked/dragged it out. Only took two bottles of shampoo to get all the 90W gear oil out of my hair!   

 For the record, most of the time my Gearhead friends and I would pull/install the engine the engine and transmission as a unit. 

The cherry picker we had was a pretty good model but was in need of some human counter balance weight when swinging the 429/460 engines. When pulling a 460 from a truck we had to be really careful when raising to the height needed to clear the much taller radiator support.   

When we finally came up with enough $$ for a electric hoist we thought we had hit the lottery.     

 

[Fabrice]

@Hemikiller,

Just for the record, I'm no *****, testosterone level pretty ok and did my share of "questionable" things regarding safety and would do things outside the book if I need to. Me being older (and therefor wiser) I check a few times more than before to do anything and ensure I keep my 10 fingers.

My concern is not really on the safety side. I have selected a hoist that will not require me to ask my heavy neighbour to come stand on one leg while busy.

I'm curious about the removal of the trans from engine bay because I don't know where the gravity center is on a c6 . As the hoist will be first lifting from the front, I was after tips to do this, as I expect/think it would require to stop 1/2 way to change where I'm lifting the trans from. Or just support and add an extra chain to the tail so it can be lifted above the car body. Having a wide floor jack or/with the trans version seams a no brainer and will use one of the 2.

But still doesn't really answer if I would need a two step or if there are details I should think about. To get parts here costs time and money, so the less I damage and prep my next move, the better.

Regarding extra hands.

My friends or daughters would gladly come help for sure, but they are of the type having hands that can handle a keyboard or a phone with great precision, but would be in my way for this kind of work and of no help if the engine or trans would need be held/pushed etc... So I prefer a good robust hoist with long legs + the right tools to support vs me getting mad at them standing there doing zip and joking while I'm sweating

 

[Hemikiller]

Hemikiller Wrote:

I did plenty of parking lot tranny R&Rs in my early twenties by sliding under the car. dragging the tranny onto my chest and bench pressing it up into the car. That crap I don't miss.

Hemikiller, thanks for the memory jog. Been there few times when I could actually crawl and fit underneath a car!  

Had busted second gear in my 4sp 67 Mustang during a drag race. The base hobby shop was full of the usual assortment of Camaro's and Nova's  with the engines out for the upteenth time. So no way to go there and legally pull my top loader and repair it. Had a friend to be my lookout in the barrack parking lot while I pulled the trans and chest walked/dragged it out. Only took two bottles of shampoo to get all the 90W gear oil out of my hair!   

 For the record, most of the time my Gearhead friends and I would pull/install the engine the engine and transmission as a unit. 

The cherry picker we had was a pretty good model but was in need of some human counter balance weight when swinging the 429/460 engines. When pulling a 460 from a truck we had to be really careful when raising to the height needed to clear the much taller radiator support.   

When we finally came up with enough $$ for a electric hoist we thought we had hit the lottery.     

So true. Back then it was often a matter of necessity, as most of the times the car being worked on was your ride to work the next day. I did a clutch in my dually by flashlight because the garage bay we were renting was powered by one breaker in the main building, and we managed to pop it and had no electricity. Drove one of my 71's with no starter for weeks because the local NAPA kept getting the wrong one, got really good a parking where I could pop start it. 

We rented a building that had an I-beam with a chainfall on a trolley, talk about the ultimate gearhead accessory!. Used it to swap cabs on my dually, yanking engines and putting an M-code Cleveland in a 72 Maverick....

 

[barnett468]

@Hemikiller,

Just for the record, I'm no *****, testosterone level pretty ok and did my share of "questionable" things regarding safety and would do things outside the book if I need to.  Me being older (and therefor wiser)  I check a few times more than before to do anything and ensure I keep my 10 fingers.

My concern is not really on the safety side. I have selected a hoist that will not require me to ask my heavy neighbour to come stand on one leg while busy.

I'm curious about the removal of the trans from engine bay because I don't know where the gravity center is on a c6 . As the hoist will be first lifting from the front, I was after tips to do this, as I expect/think it would require to stop 1/2 way to change where I'm lifting the trans from. Or just support and add an extra chain to the tail so it can be lifted above the car body. Having a wide floor jack or/with the trans version seams a no brainer and will use one of the 2.

But still doesn't really answer if I would need a two step or if there are details I should think about. To get parts here costs time and money, so the less I damage and prep my next move, the better.

Regarding extra hands.

My friends or daughters would gladly come help for sure, but they are of the type having hands that can handle a keyboard or a phone with great precision, but would be in my way for this kind of work and of no help if the engine or trans would need be held/pushed etc...  So I prefer a good robust hoist with long legs + the right tools to support vs me getting mad at them standing there doing zip and joking while I'm sweating

Safety is not about being a ***** and I have done way more then my share of "unsafe" things as well, but I would never suggest that someone else do it, which is my point. I am not a part time hobbyist mechanic. I have done this for a living for around 45 years and was partners in one of the biggest Mustang shops in California for 20 years so I have seen a lot of mishaps, and couldn't live with myself if someone or their car got seriously damaged by them doing something I suggested. You only get 1 life and 1 set of limbs. We are not talking about possibly dropping a 15 pound exhaust manifold on ones foot. The engine and trans together weigh over 700 lbs.

As far as needing to know where the center of gravity is on a C6, it is near the center of the trans pan with the converter off but I don't remember exactly. The trans weighs around 165 pounds dry without the converter.

Exactly how do you plan to remove it?

 

[Fabrice]

Safety is not about being a *****...

As far as needing to know where the center of gravity is on a C6, it is probably around the center of the trans pan with the converter off but I don't remember exactly.

Exactly how do you plan to remove it?

Totally, just saying i'm no ***** guy!

Ok, so it balances +- at the pan.

Exactly how do I plan to remove it? That was my question/tips request!

I'm thinking of bolting chains to the front. then lift a bit while having a rolling support underneath going toward the front till the member/steering components permit. From your answer, I think that I'll then need to relocate the chains once there, more at the center of the trans + tail and be then able to put it out in one (safe) go.

 

[tony-muscle]

Safety is not about being a *****...

As far as needing to know where the center of gravity is on a C6, it is probably around the center of the trans pan with the converter off but I don't remember exactly.

Exactly how do you plan to remove it?

Totally, just saying i'm no ***** guy!

Ok, so it balances +- at the pan.

Exactly how do I plan to remove it? That was my question/tips request!

I'm thinking of bolting chains to the front. then lift a bit while having a rolling support underneath going toward the front till the member/steering components permit. From your answer, I think that I'll then need to relocate the chains once there, more at the center of the trans + tail and be then able to put it out in one (safe) go.

Fabrice,

This picture should help in getting an idea of the center of gravity. Here the transmission is standing on its own. The picture was taken just after I lowered it, but still under the car. It went very easy by myself. The center will be more or less on the front half of the oil pan.

 

[Hemikiller]

Fabrice, the simplest way to get it out is to lower it to the ground on a jack, and slide it off the jack onto a piece of cardboard on the floor. You can then drag it out from under the car by the cardboard. The kickup on the frame rail just ahead of the steering box is usually high enough to clear the top of the bellhousing. if you've jacked the car up enough and taken the tires off. I'd also recommend you remove the converter beforehand, just to lighten the load.

 

[Fabrice]

@tony

thx, its actually more in the front than I was expecting, Enough to take it at the right place once i'll roll it forward in one go.

@hemikiller

Yes, as said in a past reply, did this on my 73 and will prolly do same to put it back once on my garage floor. For now, its on stones that were placed on a poor underground, bits of pressure is enough to see them going down. They are already wavy and if it all become too ugly/wavy, I know someone will ask me soon to stop on the mustangs and work on relaying the stones... Don't want that to happen!