1985 Z28, Tuned Port Injected 305. - I'm ready to begin restoration. First question: "How do I pull this engine out?"

The Chilton's lists steps to take (what to support, what to disconnect) but doesn't say how to attach the engine to the 'cherry picker'.

I see this 'lift plate' mentioned online to attach to an intake manifold but it won't fit on a TPI intake manifold.

Please advise...

 

Bolt the chains to any convenient bolt holes on the heads. It doesn't matter so much where, as long as it's evenly supported.

 

I see you have an 85 TPI, by any chance are you converting over to a carb'ed setup?
(looking for 85 TPI harness)

 

Forgive me. I just finished restoring my lawn mower. That is my level of mechanical experience.

This cherry picker came with a hook. No chains. I ASSume that I need to buy particularly sized/threaded bolts with eyelets on one end? I worry that weight would be pulling sideways on said bolts if I did not do this correctly.

 

No. Not converting to carbs. I bought this car when I got out of the Army many years ago. Drove it through college. It has been parked for about 7 years now. Still remember throwing my duffle bag in the back and cruising down the highway. FREEDOM! I just couldn't stand to watch it rust away so here I am. My plan is to restore it to back to original condition.

 

You can buy some hardware store chain to hang from the crane, eyelets are nice, but not even necessary.

Better than a chain would be an "engine leveller" or "engine tilter" if you can find one locally.

 

Engine leveler. That looks perfect. I'll do that and figure out which bolts to use when I get there. --Thanks

 

cool, good to see a fellow okie on the boards.

Do you know if there is a good Camaro parts place up there around Tulsa were I could possibly get a harness?

 

Thanks, I'm excited to start on this project. I'll need tons of advice from the members here. I'll document the restoration on a website.

I don't know of any Camaro-specific parts places around Tulsa. There are massive salvages in the OKC area off I44. There are salvages also in Sapulpa and Owasso. The ones in Tulsa are rather limited in size. To be honest, I've never been to one. Just seen them from the road.

I saw a "Painless" brand wiring harness online but it was several hundred dollars. I wonder what it would take to buy the individual connectors and then Radio Shack it?

 

$700 !!! ouch.

Dont really know how much it would be to Radio Shack it, but looks like I am either going to repair/recondition the one I have now, or upgrade to an 86 or 87 model.

I will have to go pick my IROC up at the parents house in Kingston (down by lake texoma) next week and then I can start getting her road worthy again.

 

To stick with the topic, I did find another option, albeit pricey. There is a lift plate made called the "Happy Hooker" that can be attached over the plenum. It is made by TPI Specialties. They sell it for $50 and claim it is drilled for LT1, LS1, and TPI.



Here is their link: http://www.tpis.com/
They sell on ebay as well.

 

Interesting. If I was planning on pulling a lot of L98/LTx/LSx engines I'd consider that. Fortunately some hardware store chain and bolts are cheaper and will fit any engine.

 

Agreed. I'm going to have to spend enough in tools for this project. I may just use the chains instead of the leveler or lift plate. Now if it were $25 instead of $50....

 

i dont see how that would attatch to a tpi motor though?

 

the tpi engine has 2 brackets that are perfect to pull the engine... one is on the passenger side right next to the distributor(its covered by wiring harness) and the other is the air conditioner compressor bracket..

use a chain... get 2 sets of bolts and nuts that can fit through the chain links and put the bolt through the brackets + chain and put on the nut... you may need a thick large washer for the AC compressor bracket.

 

Like you, this was one of my first questions too in my engine replacement. The first place I went to rent an engine hoist didn't have any chains, so I passed. The 2nd place had a nice hoist, and for $3 a chain "sling" to rent - which only required 2 bolts on each end of the engine block.

Yeah, as you have seen, the Chilton's (and Haynes) books often fall short for us beginners. Either they tell you what to do, but not how to do it, or they don't have a picture, or they fail to list important tips that any good experienced mechanic would make sure to mention. So, don't rely on any single book. I also bought a Pontiac factory manual for my car, from Ebay. It was expensive at $75 (?), and it is geared for trained mechanics, but (I feel) it can be particularly helpful with it's (black and white) diagrams / detailed part schematics. For me, it's usually easy to take things apart, but then difficult to remember where everything goes after 3 weeks have passed. So, I took many pictures w/ a digital camera that has a zoom feature. I also marked everything with masking tape, (though I regret that when the adhesive stuck after removing the tape. Then I had to remove the adhesive with WD-40, and clean with rubbing alcohol, before I painted the parts that went back on the new motor. I also removed rust from parts with a dremel tool, and a drill with a wire brush attachment, which works well, but this should be done outside, away from your work area, (and with safety goggles and gloves), cause the little steel bristle wires come off and end up in your back the first time you lay down under the car or step on one in socks in the garage! I also put all related bolts and nuts into plastic baggies, and marked with a marker. I started my engine replacement by degreasing the majority of the old engine with a pressure washer and a product called "Purple Power". Spend the time and clean underneath the car too, so you reduce the amount of crap that comes off into your eyes when you're underneath. I started with a dozen rolls of paper towels, 2 rolls of masking tape, and invested in a new set of craftsman tools. Especially useful was having every size socket organized, so I didn't spend my time hunting for the right one. I also own an air compressor, and used an air rachet and air impact wrench, for those big and tight bolts. Borrowed a neighbor's MAP torch once to heat up some exhaust manifold to remove some bolts. Make sure you always use the right size wrench and socket so that you don't round off a bolt head and hand tighten things first so you don't strip threads or start crooked. I used anti-seize paste when installing many bolts so that they wouldn't be hard to remove years later. Also used dielectric grease for protection on the spark plug boots, battery, and some electrical connections.

Also, a dealer manual may often have more useful info than a Chilton's, because a dealer manual covers one specific model year, (not 10 years like the Chilton's).

Good luck on your project. Hope my tips (and mistakes) help you.

 

Yep! I scored a 87 Pontiac repair book, for my 87 GTA. The details are INCREDIBLE! Worth every penny!

If you get a chance to....GET ONE! For your year car/model, of course.

Here's mine, with my owners book.

 

Yep, I got a service manual for my 91 Z28 from www.helminc.com. Luckily for me, they were on sale when I got the car. Pricey, but worth their weight in gold.

 

Couple bolts w/ washers and a chain.

 

Great information. Thanks guys. My least expensive solution that I felt comfortable with was an engine sling from Harbor Freight. $5.88. I'll bolt it up as shown in the picture here and attempt to pull both engine and transmission at the same time.

It looks like this project will take at least a few years. Just in the time needed to save for and purchase parts. The prices in that Year One catalog are nuts! If I bought everything there, this would be a $30K restoration. I'm pulling the engine and transmission to rebuild in my own garage this winter. I'm putting the car in a much larger garage to do the suspension, body, and interior work.

Don't expect updates often, because I move slow, but I'll document the project here: https://70.177.99.135

Had to make a secure webpage on port 443 because my ISP blocks normal HTTP (port 80) inbound.

--Calvin