I am going to pull the T5 and 305 out of my 88 and replace it with a rebuilt T5 and 350. I'm working in a tight space and have never pulled the assembly from a 3rd gen. Should I pull the hood and front clip off? The radiator is out and the condenser can be taken out. I have a cherry picker and the motor in the car has been taken down to the long block. Should I get it in the air and remove the trans first then pull the motor? Pull it all together?

 

That would be a heck of a lot to type.
You should get yourself a Factory Service Manual and use that for reference.

The hood should definitely be removed...

 

It really is a very personal choice. It depends on your facilities, tools, tolerance for laying on the ground, time, etc.

I always found it easiest, in my environment, to drop the trans out the bottom, and pull the engine out the top. Butt that was an artifact of what I had available to me; I had a come-along hung from my rafters, and ... not much else. If I'd had a lift and a motor table I might have done it differently.

Do whatever fits your situation the best.

 

With the space I had and the type of hoist, I removed the transmission from the bottom and removed the stripped engine (long block) from the bottom after. Means I needed to remove the front suspension and cross member which is a pain. However, it was due for overhauled anyway. Did clean-up and repainted cross member. Next time around, I will most likely remove transmission from bottom and pull engine from top by getting a chain block. Just the way my space is constraint.

 

I've removed he engine and trans as an assembly from the top as well as the transmission out from the bottom and the separated engine from the top.
Hood removed in either case. I take out the rad not so much for clearance but rather to protect it.
The two removed from the top as a unit I found to be simpler if somewhat more difficult to manage although I've done it solo many times. An engine leveller for the cherry picker is definitely a handy item. Removing and replacing the transmission from below I found to be difficult although after a few times doing that, you develop a few efficiencies. But it's still a PITA in my books. This is from a laying on your back perspective with having to struggle the transmission into place. Then a three foot extension for the ratchet and a swivel socket to reach the bellhousing bolts with the trans tail as low as possible for access to those bolts.
I've never dropped the k-member and suspension and taken out the whole assembly from below. That's 4th gen stuff. And I'll venture a guess that unless there's a lift involved, it'll be some kind of rigged up assembly of straps and tools not for the intended use in play.

 

Whenever I've done it, I always dropped the transmission out from the bottom, hoisted the engine from above, and then put back whatever engine & transmission was going back in all together. Crazy I know, but it seemed to work well for me (no smashed hands or broken parts) .....

 

A transmission jack is really nice for removal and install of the trans. They're cheap as far as jacks go, even the $120 harbor freight one gets the job done.

 

Carefully!

 

Really? The trans weighs like 75 lbs. Pull it out by hand.

If you're doing the engine AND trans, I'd pull the hood, drive shaft, tq arm mount at the trans, slave cyl, motor mounts, motor items (PS hoses, fuel lines etc) then jerk the engine and trans together. Separate 'em out on the shop floor.

 

Ive tried doing engine and trans at the same time on a Thirdgen and it was tough, had to go back down and change that game plan

 

Awesome, thanks y'all! I wasn't looking for a step-by=step, just getting a feel for what works. I might be able to put it on a friends lift so that would be way easier. If not, I will take trans out from the bottom and motor from the top then try to stab it all back in together.

 

The best approach will probably depend on what tools you have available. I always pull the engine and trans together out the top with the hood off and radiator out. It helps to have some type of adjustable engine lift plate especially when you go to put it back in. An adjustable lift plate makes it a lot easier getting it to the correct angle when going down into the trans tunnel. It can be done without one or using one with 3 holes but it's easier with something adjustable.

I've got one very similar to this and have also adapted it to use with LS engines too.

Mac's Custom Tie-Downs 701001 Mac's Engine Pivot Plates | Summit Racing

FYI - some engine hoists don't have enough reach to clear the nose of a thirdgen when going straight in from the front. You may have to come in at an angle or take the nose off. Luckily, I have an older engine hoist that has more reach than most.

I've pulled the engine and trans from the bottom a couple of times, I feel like it adds extra work unless you are removing the k-member for another reason anyway.

 

Funny you should mention that. At one time, (and I'm going back a lot of years ) all engine cranes appeared to be created equally. What we used twenty or thirty years ago always had sufficient reach for a 3rd gen.
We found it wasn't until the market became flooded with off shore crap, that the cranes had shrunk down to about 3/4 scale. That made going straight in a no go.
The solution for me was to add an additional bar to extend the arm another 12"-18" or so. It still within the capacity to lift a SBC and trans but that's just about the limit.

 

Yes the new engine hoists are not the same as the old ones for sure. I bought an old one off craigslist probably 15 years ago that I'm still using. My hoist is a beast and doesn't fold up but it can reach and no worries about it tipping. Only downside to an older hoist is that it takes up more floor space.

I forgot to mention earlier that I do remove the front spoiler when pulling the engine to keep the hoist from hitting it. I could probably get away with not taking it off but it gives me piece of mind. I also cover everything in old blankets and towels to prevent scratches.

 

My hoist doesn’t reach with the front spoiler/splitter so I do it from the side. Also do the trans separately from the bottom.

 

OK so I have the T5 ready to come out. I have the torque arm and driveshaft removed, the 4 bolts to the bell housing are loose and the motor torn down to the long block but cannot get the passenger side header off (I can't get access to it)

Can I just loosen the motor mount bolts on both sides, pull the trans from below and pull motor out with the pass side header installed?

 

If they are stock cast iron manifolds they can be left on, if they are aftermarket headers they might not clear the heater box on the passenger side, there are so many variations in aftermarket headers it’s hard to say. You can try removing the rear most header bolts from the underside assuming those are the ones that you can’t get access to. Or if you start lifting the engine as much as you can, if the headers do hit, maybe the amount the engine has been lifted will give you just enough clearance to get to the bolts.

 

Yeah I'm hoping I can lift it up a bit more to get access to those back bolts. They are SLP shorty headers

 

Yea. I remove the starter and can just barely fit my arm up from the bottom with an open end wrench. Everything around that back corner of the engine is pretty tight with the heater box..

 

Man, you aren't kidding one bit. I have huge hands and arms so I usually have my brother or wife do the small stuff for me. I would prefer to get that header off so I don't damage it or the heater box.

 

I don't think the motor will come out with the header on it.

But you might be able to lift it enough to get access to whatever the problem is.

Go ahead and pull out the trans.

 

I've always split the engine trans when pulling the engine.

On my car, the engine is set back a little more than normal. The front nose of the car comes off after removing about a dozen or so screws. Not much behind the nose of my car since it's drag race only. As shown above, the third gens nose is very long and engine hoists have a hard time reaching in far enough from the front. Downside of pulling the engine from the side is that you will probably have to pull the engine forward and the engine hoist isn't designed to go sideways.

If pulling engine and transmission together, either completely drain the transmission or get a dummy yoke to stick into the back. When you angle the engine up to get it out, all the oil in the transmission will pour out onto the floor without something plugging the output shaft hole.

It's a pain to do but unbolting the front K-member, brake lines etc and lifting the body off the engine is a cleaner way to do it.

 

Please tell me I can carefully put the shorty headers on the engine before I carefully put it in the car. If not, I might order the ARP stainless header bolts that have the smaller 5/16" hex head and not these 12pt bolts that I fought with

 

I did mine with the engine & tranny together...

 

in my opinion the 6 point bolts would be much better and easier than 12 point for headers.