well i've decided this weekend will mark the start of my engine/trannie pull. i did plan on just pulling the heads off but after hours and hours of reading i have decided to put off getting the car on the road this summer and pull the engine. I have no need to rush getting it on the road so i figure i will drop the engine and replace parts like cam, heads while its out. Also the car is getting a bare metal respray at the end of the year so it makes sense to do it right and respray the engine bay as well.

now the main reason for posting this is because i want to see if there is anyone who has done an engine and transmission pull on a third gen camaro and might have some tips for a first timer. like i said i have spent hours reading manuals (chiltons and haynes) but getting info from someone who has taking on this job would be superb , also good to know that theres someone on the forum to turn to if things go wrong.

 

haha, i'm a first timer and i'm almost done building my beast back up ( shoudl have it running in a week or so).

I have millions of tips, but the main ones are as follows:

1. Decide what you are going to do BEFORE DOING ANYTHING
2. Have EVERY part you need/want BEFORE DOING ANYTHING
3. Make sure you have enough spare $$ for misc stuff you forgot, or stuff you break like vaccum lines.
4. Get someone to help you who knows at least as much or more than you
5. RESEARCH!! I mean hours and hours.
6. dont cheap out on parts, you get what you pay for
7. Do it right the first time, double check your work
8. Make sure you have lots of different size wrenches (especially 15mm ) and deep sockets
9. Power tools are nice
10. If you have a 700R4, besure to call bowtie overdrives (760 947-5240) for a tv kit and help setting your tranny back up correctly.

Thats all the major ones i can remember right now. There are tons of things i learned that would have saved time AND money...

 

If you have a digital camera,take a zillion shots of everything.When all the fasteners and small bits come off,put them all in individual bags and label them well.Done the last one several times with various cars and bikes.It comes in very useful because with the best will in the world you'll totally forget what went where after a few weeks(or is that just me?).

 

All the above are important, but I wanted to emphasize #10
as something not to be overlooked.
The lifespan of an improperly set up 700R4 is pretty short, and it won't even feel like there's anything the matter with it til it's too late
Do your homework... Do it right