thunderstick

'91 5.7 TPI... a few things i want to ask to those out there that are experienced with pulling motors -

i'm pulling mine to fix some oil leaks (oil pan, timing cover(?), etc.) and putting on new exhaust while i'm at it since the original was crapped out and clogged. also going to be replacing valve seals while it's out. i would like to pull the engine with the valve covers and exhaust manifolds still on it. so, main question i have is what "points" are best to hook up the chain without binding anything and/or having to remove a bunch of other crap? the tranny is already removed, pulling the engine alone. the only acc's i've taken off are are the alternator and starter. before i pull it, the a/c and p/s pump will be removed. would the intake manifold bolts be a good place to hook up the lift chain?

i'm about ready to do this, all i have left to remove is the a/c, p/s, split the fuel lines, and those damn bonding wires on the back of the heads. everything else is off and/or disconnected.

while i'm at it, about the leaks - i have oil caked up on my water pump, AIR pump, and the general area. it appears that the chain cover may be leaking, but not sure. it doesn't look like the intake is leaking. there is even a "drip" on the lower water hose. where that could be from is unknown to me.

last but not least, any suggestions while i have it out for bolt-ons would be cool. engine has 130k on it, new chain at 100k. not looking to do much with it, since the engine is running so well, but since it's out...

well thanks for looking... any help appreciated...

KAM

ljnowell

Use the bolt holes on the head. Use the ones in front on one head, and on the back of the other head. It will work just fine.

jgifford

Don't forget the tranny cooler lines. They clip on to the block on the passenger side. I had to go back and rebend all mine after trying to pull the motor with them still connected.

ljnowell

LMAO.... been there done that. We pulled one time on a 454 in a quadcab dualie for about an hour. My uncle swore that everything was out from underneath, everything unhooked. When we finally got it out, we realized that he forgot a bellhousing bolt. Damn near killed me and the general when the 454 w/ th400 came flying out at us like a slingshot. Damned thing stood the cherry picker up on end, I was holding on to it, it pulled me 2 ft into the air with it. The moral of the story. Never trust your uncle.

taonindo

why not freashen up the eng. while you got it out ... new rings bearings seals and gaskets ... since your going through the trouble of pulling it ... nows a good time to detail the eng. bay too ... dont forget to take a good look at the motor mounts ... let us know how it goes ... tao

thunderstick

yea, i'm gonna clean up the eng bay and all. gonna wait and see what kind of shape the guts look like once i pull the pan. could be a deciding factor, but 30k ago the heads and intake looked pretty good, so we'll see. i'm in no immediate time line to get this done by, but i don't want it dragging out, either. it's gonna get new paint, too, so gotta work that in some where, as well. tranny's in good shape, so that's one thing i don't have to deal with this time. BUT, i gotta take the rear end back for replacing seals already. done 2 years ago, less than 20k on it, and already leaking... then i'd like to top it all off with polishing the wheels, too. there's some other bugs in it, too, but gonna get the drive train back in working order first.

KAM