Wayne-
You are definitely being steered in the right direction. Pulling the motor out
the top is very difficult because you have to pull the engine and trans as
one, and it is very hard to get the whole operation high enough and at a steep
enough angle.
The easiest (relative term) way is to drop the crossmember, which is basically
just a matter of disconnecting the brake lines and the steering shaft and then
pulling the four crossmember to unibody, frame rail bolts. Then disconnect all
things which tie the engine to the body: radiator hoses, ignition wiring,
throttle cable, driveshaft etc. It also makes sense to take off the headers
(exhaust manifolds) and all the motor mount stuff while supporting the
engine/transmissions weight. Of course, you need to take off the shift lever
and unbolt the trans crossmember. Now you are ready to drop the motor down.
The way I have done it in the past is to connect a engine hoist to a lifting
bracket bolted to the intake manifold. Have the front end of the car up as
high as possible, because you are going to have to bring the engine out under
the car. Drop the engine slowly onto whatever you are going to use to manuever
it out from under the car. Tom Hall has made a steel wheeled dolly which is
very low slung and fits the pan which I have borrowed, but others have done
the job with heavy duty creepers etc.
That's the basic deal.
Mike Wood
B382002273
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