So... this is a stupid question I'm sure. I've got everything off that I can imagine from the block atleast... all the wires, the manifolds, the fuel pump, even took off the intake. I have the transmission to engine bolts out.

Am I missing anything here? Does the torque converter need to be disconnected from the flexplate?

I am trying to get the engine out just now, but the transmission keeps leaning back more and more, and I'm afraid to break the tranny mount or something.

Do I just move the engine forward some? Or should they just disconnect from each other when I lift them up?

Thanks in advanced fellahs

 

Two ways. One is VERY bad, and that's if you keep pulling as it. You will want the torque converter to stay on the trans, whcih is number Two. Get under the car, if you haven't already, remove the dust cover, and yes, unbolt the torque converter from the flywheel/flexplate. Just rotate the crank to get to all the bolts by turning the torque converter while you are under the car. The engine will pop off of the trans with little effort...just do a second runthrough and make sure you have ALL the bellhouse bolts and starter bolts out. It's easy to miss one especially if everything is covered in years of gunk. Good luck.

 

Oops, I left out that it would be a good idea to support the trans with wood or a jack.

 

So I guess that means that I need to disconnect the torque converter then... damn.

See, I can only turn the crank around so much before it just gets stock (something's getting caught up in there, I just dont know what) and I cant get to the last bolt lol. Guess I'll go buy a flywheel/flexplate turning tool then.

Thanks

 

Sounds LIke you have Engine prollys I use a screw driver to turn the flex plate it sould not turn to hard unles something went BOOM

 

Well, this 305 went boom about 5 months ago I'm trying to get it out so I can take the heads off to do a little work on 'em, and put the top end on the new 350.

So yeah, about 4 spun bearings I guess make it hard to turn around? not to mention I dont have any of the mains in there anymore, so that has to be part of it too lol, and all of the rods arent connected to the crank anymore... basically just the flexplate holding the crankshaft in there lol.

 

Why did you take apart the bottom end with the engine still in the car? Maybe you can pull the engine with the crank still attached to the flexplate? Kinda pull the block out and away from the crank? Would that even work?

since the only thing the crank is attached to is the flexplate?
I really dont know.

Good Luck

 

If you have the bottom out of the engine, and the engine is garbage...just remove the heads, unbolt the rod caps at the bottoms of each piston rod, and beat each piston up through it's bore. You can do this with spun bearings so long as you can get to all the caps, and usually if you can turn the crank just enough you can get to all the caps. Once you have no resistance to the crank other than the spun bearings, put a monkey/pipe wrench on the crank pulley, and torque that fu@%er around the direction that will make the last torque converter bolt the easiest to get to. If you absolutely cannot get to the last torque converter bolt...just be as gentle as possible...and wrestle the engine AND torque converter from the trans. It will slide out, but because the torque converter is slid onto a splined shaft, several inches of contact, the engine would have to come STRAIGHT forward 4-5 inches, with no angling up, down, or side to side. I would also suggest replacing one of the other three torque converter bolts, so that when it does come free from the trans, it doesn't swing down and around like a pinwheel. Try those few things. Can't be much more than a few good tugs away...hope this helped. Also, if you don't have the trans supported, you may be getting pressure on the spline shaft that way. Put some wood or a jack under the trans, and make sure it's supported so when the torque converter isn't holding it up anymore that it doesn't fall.

 

thanks for all the advice.

in answer to why I was taking the bottom end out of the car with the engine still in the car... I was thinking/hoping it was just a bad oil pump, so I ended up replacing it. That didnt work, so I tore it all apart again, and took off all the main and rod caps, and took pictures of the bearings for TGO to see .

I then decided it was 350 time, and figured putting the bottom end back together was a waste of time lol. I now have a engine hoist that I bought from advanced auto, and so I can pull the engine and do it all properly.... my other plan was to take all that I can out of the engine, tear it down to a bare block while still on the crossmember, then just grab a friend and move the block out, then re-assemble the 350 the same way on the crossmember...

That would have caused me a lot more pain, and in the end a lot more expenses, so I ended up buying a engine hoist and engine stand.... plus, they look so gawsh darn pretty in my garage


Durango_Boy... thanks for the explanation of how the torque converter goes on, I was confused why everyone said it would be bad for it, now I know lol... and am afraid that I might have screwed something up when I tried to get the engine out the first couple times w/ the torque converter attached.

the only thing getting in the way is the monkey dance I do with the rods falling over after it gets out of the crank's reach, and then it stops the crank from rotating, just makes it annoying. I'm sure I can get it though. I would prefer to keep the heads on when I pull the engine if I could. but that's just because I'm too lazy to pull the valve covers right now lol.

I'll take a picture once I get the engine out, so y'all know how you've helped me out

 

Unless some very hard pressure was applied to the spline shaft of the trans you probably are in the clear as far as damage goes. The biggest problem you'd want to avoid is the front main seal of the trans being damaged. That's what keeps pressious pressure and fluid in the trans while the spline shaft spins. When an engine is still attached to the torque converter, and that shaft is wrenched from side to side or up and down, the seal can be damaged. Inspect the trans when the motor is free, with it in N, see if the spline shaft has any play when you pull or try to turn it. If you can see movement by hand, it may be damaged. You may be able to turn it, but that's normal. You will just want to make sure the main seal looks to have it's full integrity. If after the engine swap is through, it begins leaking fluid when it did not before, you may know why. Also, after you have the 350 finished, and are ready to install it, please have a friend and a good idea of how to do it. There are some VERY important things that MUST be done perfectly when putting the torque converter in the trans, and then mating the engine to the trans, and then bolting the torque converter to the flywheel. Some steps that you will not want to miss or not do correctly. Good luck, and you can feel free to email me personally if you have problems with it, or need some advise...

 

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So to update with how it went... it went horribly lol.

I dont know what damage I've caused, but the engine IS out... and the driveshaft and panhard bar are disconnected from the tranny (more on that later). If I had hosting I'd post up all the pictures that I took (another 5 pictures that is).

Basically, I spun the flexplate around as much as I could and finally got a peak at the last bolt to the torque converter. So I grabbed a long combination wrench (box and open), broke the bolt loose with the box, then went at it with the open end for about 20 minutes a couple few milllimeters at a time lol.

After that I THOUGHT that I had everything squared away. So I started lifting the engine, I heard a clunk after a few inches up, figured that was the engine and tranny disconnecting themselves, so I kept lifting it up, then I heard another clunk about a foot higher. So I stopped, looked down and the tranny was all ****-eyed up in the air with the engine like I was afraid of. The initial clunk was the tranny and engine disconnecting what they could from each other, the 2nd one was the driveshaft and the panhard bar disconnecting themselves from the tranny (I dont know if it snapped any bits inside it or anything, looked like a clean break from each other, I just thought that they were bolted in, not pressed in? lol.

So I lowered the engine again, then I raised the transmission as high as I could, found that I had missed the last transmission - engine bolt.... for some odd reason I seriously thought I got all 4 of them. So I took out that last bolt, then I had at it again and it came out in a jiffy.

Thanks for the help everyone

 

I was just reading the replys and thought you were going to go the torque conveter attached method. It wil work bur i think youneed to take the nose off the car first to get enought room to go straight ahead to clear the spindle. But you got i so never mind. I hope you are good. getur done

 

Thanks 85 Restore. I was thinking about going the torque converter attached method, but I did a search on it, and no good can come of it. If I couldnt get the flexplate turned enough to get to the last bolt then I wouldnt have had a choice though unfortunately... but I was able to just get it, which made me happy lol.



So I've got a likewise stupid question... will the flexplate from my LG4 (on an 86 car, it's a 1 piece rear main seal motor) work on a 2 piece seal crank? If no, I should buy a 153 tooth flexplate then to go w/ the stock starter, right?

Thanks for answering these silly questions, I've done a lot of research on building the engine, but the fine points I'm clueless on unfortunately.

 

for the record, there should be 6 tranny-engine bolts

 

Thats what I was saying when I just read that lol I wish it was only four. Those top two or hard to get at when the motor is in the car

 

easies way: jack the back of the tranny up, then you can get to those two top bolts from the top of the car, i can't ever get them from the bottom.

 

the racheting wrench and was able to get the top bolts real easy. That was getting them out.. not sure how that will work getting them in.

 

Just pulled mine last weekend. On those top 2 bolts, I just happened to have a 9/16 ditributor wrench. WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!!! An absolte life saver. That and a short cheater bar to break em loose. After that, I was able to run em the rest of the way out by hand. But, I had my heads and intake off too. Dont know if that'll get in the way on a dist. wrench.

 

Why is your catalytic on upside-down?
The heat shield is on the bottom.

 

Tranny should be supported under the pan and the jack nice and straight. Support the whole pan with a piece of wood.

Always unbolt the flywheel and converter. An easy task. Now I hope you plan on replacing the front main seal on the tranny or there is a good chance you will have to drop the tranny and replace it after. Under normal conditions, it's a good idea to replace it. You have to replace it.

There is fluid everywhere. It's easier to drain it and catch it than have to mop/absorb it up after.