Need info on changing engine

["Peter Engel" <peter.engel@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Charles,

I just finished doing an engine/transmission swap on Daimler/Chrysler
product and I pulled the engine and trans as an assembly.  I used an
engine crane aka "cherry picker" on a smooth concrete floor.

I've been doing this kind of stuff periodically for 20+ years and seeing
that weight raised high enough to clear the radiator support STILL gives
me the willies.  There's more than enough weight (potential energy for
you engineers) to do serious damage to your car and kill you too if
something screwy happens.  On the swap I just did, the factory manual
made it quite clear that the front wheels should be blocked up about 10"
in order for the transmission tailshaft to clear the floor during
engine/trans removal.  That made the necessary lift height even scarier.

So, while removing the powertrain as a unit is easier for someone with
the right tools and experience, you may want to remove the engine and
trans separately.  The trans is not too tough to drop out the bottom,
and when you remove the engine you don't have to tilt it severely so the
trans comes out.  I'm pretty sure that the 57s were built using a body
drop.  That is, the frame, suspension, steeering, and drivetrain were
all assembled and then the body was lowered onto the nearly complete
chassis.  That indicates to me that removing the engine and trans as an
assembly might be very tight.  Especially on a car with factory A/C.

As far as dismantling the donor car...  I wouldn't do anything to the
donor car that I wasn't going to do to the recipient.  That way you can
use the donor car operation as a dry run to see how things go.  If parts
get bashed up or broken you know what NOT to do when you do the other
removal.  That's the philosophy I used when I did my latest swap since
it was an unfamiliar vehicle: make my mistakes on the car that was
expendable, not the keeper.

My .02
Pete in PA


From: PiscesM21@xxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 15:59:59 EDT
Subject: IML: Need Info on Changing engine
Reply-To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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     I have a 1957 Imperial which is a rust bucket, and I was lucky
enough to 
find a 1957 Southampton with no rust at all. The Southampton doesn't
have a 
drive train, so I am going to transfer the drive train to it from the
rust 
bucket. 
     Is it easier to remove the engine and transmission together (392
Hemi) 
or separate them. 
The most important thing is... I am a novice, I have never changed an
engine 
before. I do have a 10 ton engine puller with an adjustable lifter to
change 
the weight around while lifting.
     Should I put the front end up on ramps (heavy duty)?
Since I am scrapping the car later (Imperial) I have been removing
parts, 
would it be easier to remove the grill and slide it out with all the
front 
removed? ie: radiator, frame for radiator, and grill.
     I appreciate any and all help on this, it will take a while to
remove 
it, as I am partially disabled.
I appreciate any ideas and knowledge to remove the engine & trans.
     Also what additional parts should I remove to keep for spares,
since I'm 
parting it out?
Thanks for any and all information
Charles in Calif.