HI everyone,

I am looking to pull the sbc from my 86 camaro.


First off, my apologies if a thread for this topic already exists. I looked but to no avail.
I am looking to remove my engine without the transmission. Or with if this is easier?

My first time pulling an engine and Just looking for some insight.
Do i just unbolt the transmission from the block? What about the torque converter?
Does anyone have a detailed guide that i can follow?

Any particular tools that will make my life easier?

Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thx

 

If you want to pull the motor and leave the transmission, then the big-ticket items to unbolt between them are, the bell housing bolts and the torque converter bolts. There will be other smaller items like the TC cover, starter, wiring and cooler line clips maybe; but those are the biggies.

Personally I find it easier to do what you propose. Some other people find it easier to pull them together. I don't like that because it's so unbalanced (rear-heavy) and makes such a mess of trans fluid, but that's just me. A few even do it out the bottom. I think it depends alot on the space and equipment you have, the tools you have, etc. There's no one right absolutely unconditionally superior way to do it.

Keep in mind also, if you think ahead a little bit, you don't have to break the AC open. You can leave all the lines connected, unbolt the condenser and compressor, and swing them up and over out of the way, maybe put something to pad the fender if they end up wanting to sit on it. It's ALOT easier if you remove the radiator, especially if you pull them together.

I STRONGLY recommend taking it to the quarter car wash before you start and getting it as clean as possible from EVERY POSSIBLE angle. Underneath, below the front, under the 2 sides, etc. etc. etc. Maybe take things out that are in the way, like air dams and such. Take your floor jack and jack stands with you so you can get under there and see what you're doing. Get you a Tyvek suit and lay up under it and throw the suit away when you get out. Stop on your way and pick up acoupla cans of engine degreaser. It's SOOOOO MUCH less unpleasant to work on something if it's not dripping abuncha FUNK in your face the whole time.

 

X ♾

 

I have pulled with engine only and a few weekends ago w/ motor and tranny together.

If you are going to leave the trans in the car, you need to put a block of wood under the trans oil pan and support it with a floor jack or similar. The trans cross member only supports the rear of the transmission. The engine supports the front.

Pull the distributor !!! This gives you more room w/ the firewall. The front of the engine will get raised more than the rear initially, and the distributor gets in the way.

While you are at it, I think all our engines have an oil pressure sending unit/pressure switch basically under the distributor. Those things are mounted in a brass "T" that breaks real easy. Removing it will help you from hitting the firewall and breaking it off... however, be VERY careful removing it as I have had one break while trying to remove it.

The Trans to Engine bolts at the top are very difficult to get to. You might be able to get a ratcheting box end wrench w/ a pivoting head to to to them from the top... but there is very little room there (plus lots of wires). When I pull eng separately from the trans, I grab EVERY extension I have for my socket set and create about a 4 foot long extension. Each joint adds a little "slop" to the extension. When all joined together, if you hold it horizontal, it will droop a few inches and create a slight arc. Now, this is very beneficial to "arching" over the transmission to those top bolts. I will be at the tailshaft of the transmission w/ my ratchet (or impact) and have that super long extension going up over the trans to the top bolts. It helps to have the car up as high as possible on jack stands and have some decent lights to shine through the trans tunnel.

It sounds sketchy, but that is the easiest way to get to those top bolts (when in the car).

You have 3 bolts between the flexplate and the torque converter. You need to be able to rotate the engine to get access to those bolts. There is a cover over the bottom of the flywheel (plastic) between the engine and trans. With it off, you can see the bottom of the flywheel. I think it is easiest to get to the bolts from the driver side. The starter and such get in the way on the other. If you have the plugs out, that helps w/ rotating the engine by hand. Or, you can disable spark (or wait till distributor is pulled) and bump it with the starter.

Be careful of the radiator... I prefer to pull it and the condenser. Taking off water pump and such from front of engine would give you room in the front, too. My last pull, all engine accessories but PS pump were still on and I had radiator and condenser pulled.

Engine can be pulled w/ exhaust manifolds still installed. I pull the Y pipe off, though.

Watch out for the wiring harnesses. You can unplug the engine harness from the computer, fish it out the side of the car by the passenger fender and pull the engine w/ the engine harness still attached. There is a separate harness coming from near the brake booster. I unhook that one from the engine. There are also a few connections from the battery to the starter and from the starter "elsewhere". The battery one definitely needs disconnected (bat end or at starter), I don't remember on the others. The eng harness has a plug that does down to the trans you need to disconnect when leaving the trans in the car.

The transmission cooler lines attach to the bottom of the engine on the passenger side w/ a "spring" like clip. Don't forget to separate them from engine.

Take pictures of the various vacuum lines ... heck of everything before disconnecting them. Might come in handy when trying to figure out how to put it back together.

When you start to pull it, STOP and check ever where again... raise a little and check again... repeat... Seems there is always a missed wire, hose, or ???

I hope that helps.

 

I remember pulling the trans the first time. I went the route with like the 4ft extensions on a ball swivel socket. They were still a PITA. Now with no emissions, I just happily get them from the top with a 3/8" ratchet.

If you get stuck, start searching these forums. I gaurantee the question has been asked before.

If I have a partner who is familiar with the job we can park the car and put the engine on the ground in about 30 minutes with hand tools.

 

I took 350/700 out at one time.

Suggestions, I had the car 12 inches up on stands,

I went to the HW store and got drain pipe, capped it...made a great seal for the tranny

So I had all 4 corners in the aor a foot or so, this allowed me to let the rear of the tranny go down, and sardine the whole thing out.

Now, if I was on the ground, I'd do one at a time.

 

I always put the rear of the car on stands, there is no other way to get at the lower 4 bell housing bolts if you are going to remove the engine separately.

Even if you are pulling both together you still have to put the rear on stands to get enough clearance under the car to unbolt the transmission from the rest of the car. I usually put the stands under the rear axle on their lowest setting.

Though in the below pic I didn't have them there when I pulled the engine, but I did have them there earlier when I was working under the car.

 

I have pulled and reinstalled my engine without transmission twice in the last 9 months. One time I did it completely alone- much easier with two sets of hands.

Let me just add a few comments and tips to the great ones already provided:

• Get a variety of correct end wrenches with different offsets. A flex head ratcheting end wrench is worth it's weight in gold. With these, you can get the upper bell housing bolts and other connections. My engine (85) uses 9/16 on most all of these, I don't know if they changed on the later blocks and heads.
• Most engines have two ground wire / strap connections-- one at the back of each cylinder head. These are hard to reach and easy to miss.
• It helps to get the hood off early so that you have more vertical access to the top bolts. You can climb up on top of the engine to reach.
• Agree that distributor out and oil pressure switches removed is a plus. Both for access to harnesses and to keep from contacting the front of dash.
• For engine-only removal, wiring harnesses don't have to be moved far. Disconnect from sensors, switches, injectors, etc and tape/ tie them back to the rear of the engine compartment, even hang them from a wiper arm. Just be careful not to crush them on re-installation. Also, watch carefully how and where they attach. On mine, the main harness has a clamp that bolts to an upper bell housing bolt. If you move that harness inside the clamp, there isn't enough slack for the harnesses that reach to the front of the engine. Ask me how I know...
• When you disconnect the torque converter, push it back to disengage the pilot from the crank and leave it there when you reinstall the engine to be sure it doesn't bind up.
• Starter can stay attached, but be sure to disconnect it.
• If you have TPI, it helps to get the plenum and runners off and out of the way for connecting your engine hoist chains.
• A screw leveler for the hoist is a great help. Harbor Freight has a good one. It will let you turn a crank to change the angle of the engine while you have it hanging.
  • https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qu...ler-67441.html
• Finally, understand that the Chevy clamshell engine mounts have a "U" shaped bracket on the engine. Once you pull the through bolts, you must lift the engine about 2 or 3 inches vertically before the brackets will clear the mounts and allow the engine to come forward. The transmission will be very close to contacting the floor pan tunnel and you will need to adjust your jack under the trans pan for when the engine breaks free. If you have the leveler, you can even point the engine nose up a little to help break it loose from the dowel pins.