[Spridgets] really dumb question, dont laugh

Jim Johnson bmwwxman at gmail.com
Mon May 30 11:46:03 MDT 2011


I've done it both ways.  I will NEVER do them separately again. Frank was
(as usual) right. The only hard part of doing them together is getting the
drive shaft back into the tranny tail piece and even that is a piece of cake
once you've done it a few times.

Cheers!!
Jim

On Mon, May 30, 2011 at 8:38 AM, Linda Grunthaner <grunthaner at gmail.com>wrote:

> As I recall Frank preferred to install the engine with the transmission
> attached. Can anyone on the list tell me why? Is it because it is more
> difficult to line up the engine to the transmission on an angle like that?
> Lin
>
> On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 5:12 PM, BJNoSHOV8 <bjshov8 at tx.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > I've built a LOT of engines, and never used an engine stand.  However for
> > some things I think there might be an advantage.
> >
> > We had a couple of steel tables in our shop, made out of steel pipe,
> steel
> > angles, and pretty thick steel on the top.  We would set a block on the
> > table upside down.  Then install the cam bearings, cam and crankshaft.
>  Then
> > we would screw 4 of the bellhousing bolts into the back of the engine and
> > turn it up on its back end.  The bolts would stick out enough to hold the
> > block up and provide clearance for the flange end of the crankshaft.
>  Then
> > we would put the pistons in, put the heads, intake, and covers on.  Then
> we
> > would paint the whole thing.  (A little paint on the table never hurt
> > anything.)  We would bolt a plate with a big loop on it in place of the
> > carburetor (for V engines), pick the engine up with our hoist, and lower
> it
> > into the car.
> >
> > Nowadays it seems to be in vogue to use an engine stand, then one of
> those
> > little wheel-around hoists to pick up the engine, bolt the transmission
> on
> > and wrangle the whole thing into a car.  We had a hoist on a track in the
> > roof of our shop, and we never put engine/transmission in at the same
> time.
> >  We worked on lots of cars where this would not have been possible due to
> > the size of the opening.  (I defer to the people with experience on LBC's
> > regarding installing with or without the transmission in place, but for
> most
> > other cars it is easier without.)  Of course many cars these days use
> > subframes and it is easier to drop the whole subframe out the bottom.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  I have painted lots of engines without an engine stand.  You have to
> >>  paint
> >> the bottom of the sump first or once it's in a car.
> >>
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-- 
Cheers!!
Jim Johnson
Don't miss the BIG PARTY!!  Midget 50th Anniversary!
Elkhart Lake, WI  July 18-22, 2011
Info & Registration here:
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