Pulling my Engine

[ADSA77]

Hi Bob,

I going to be pulling my engine to have some work done on it and the car. It looks like pulling it out should be somewhat straight forward. Is there anything unusual that I should be aware???Any specific tricks of the trade when dealing with these ERAs??

How about when I go to re-install the engine?

Thanks,
AL

[Gary Morris]

Take your time...but really it's a piece of cake. We can have it out in 45 minutes
Yes we have experience

ERA #122
ERA #291
ERA #329
ERA #495
ERA #575

Gary

[ERA#569]

Hello Gary, I have installed / removed my engine 2 times(before I started it !). The best I think is to Remove the Trans & Bell housing out from the interior side(with back of engine supported). Then with the Alternator, etc. off you can pull the engine forward a couple of inches and pull STRAIGHT up !! I was very surprised how easy it go's in and out ! Make sure you have help to hold the engine steady and take your time ! Make sure you have alot of blankets or towels linning the engine opening. Make sure you plug the fuel supply line if your gas tank fuel level is higher than the end. Disconect the battery terminals for good measure.

Good Luck, Scott

[John 550]

air down front tires if needed

[Jim Holden]

Gee, I finally noticed the title to this thread and figured (considering the source) that it was X rated.

No such luck.

Mort MacTavish

[Traveller]

I'm about to pull mine.

Just so I get this straight. Do I decouple at the tranny/bell housing or the bell housing/engine? Or does it matter?

[Jim Holden]

Trav:

First, after removing the seats, gear shift, emergency lever and the center tunnel, remove the trans. Then, remove the bellhousing. With a couple of able (pre - beer) assistants (one to operate the crane and another on the other side of the car to watch and help stabalize the motor), the motor should come out in a straightforward manner.

There are, of course, a number of other chores to be done before attempting to lift out the motor; remove alternator and brackets, remove oil filter, unbolt exahust/side pipe system and remove, unbolt carb and linkage and remove, disconnect water amd oil temp/pressure lines, remove radiator hoses and radiator, disconnect bolts in engine mount (the more room you can make, the better), etc. You will also have to remove the steering wheel and you may want to disconect and remove the steering shaft to the steering rack as well.

Jim

[Excaliber]

I pulled my engine and tranny as a unit and reinstalled them that way as well.

[Traveller]

Did y'all come in with the picker from the front or from the side like Clois?

I see the advantage of coming in from the side, however, my plan was to come in from the front, lift the engine and then roll the car out from under it.

Thanks for the assistance. If any of you want to come help there's cold beer in the fridge

[Dangerous Doug]

When installing without the bellhousing in place, won't it be a bit of a ***** to get the bellhousing correctly aligned?

An engine load leveler tool would make the process a lot easier.

DD

[Excaliber]

From the front for me. The main reason I reinstalled as an assembly was the pilot bearing and input shaft fit for the trans snout is really tight! I had the trans out once by itself and fought it for several hours trying to get the darn thing back in. Light press fit I reckon...

Good point about bell housing alignment as well. Fortunatly the ERA's are so much easier to work on (trans tunnel comes out) than many other replicas. FFR with a T5 comes to mind, you aint got enough beer to get ME to help that trans!

[CJ428CJ]

Come in from the front with the cherry picker. Just make sure you have rented one with enough reach. Coming in from the side would be much more difficult in my opinion because you need to be able to pull the motor forward after you've lifted the motor off the mounts in order to avoid hitting the firewall.

Also contrary to what some have said above, there is no need to remove the radiator, alternator, steering wheel, steering shaft or oil filter. I install mine with the bellhousing unbolted from the motor. I've heard you can leave it bolted up but I've never done it that way. It really is pretty easy.

[Chaplin]

I've pulled and installed the motor both from the front and from the side and actually thought it was easier doing it from the side. But either way, it is pretty easy.

[Jim Holden]

I remove everything that I can because it really isn't that much more work and I'd much rather be safe than sorry. It's very easy with everything still hanging off the motor to have it swing ever so slightly and bang into something. Ya pays yer money and make your choices...

Jim

[RICK LAKE]

ADSA77 Al Some things where missed, First cover and Tape the front end of the car. I use paper and then Heavy moving blanets on top of them. I leave the bellhousing off for room. It's is easier from the side IF your cherrypickers front wheels pivot. I don't have the trans hooked up. Get a friend to help you the first couple of times. Make sure you get a FEEL on controlling the cherrypicker for going down. Hooking up sensors before you drop in the motor, like the oil pan temp sensor is easier with the motor hanging than in the car. I have a short cherry picker and when hanging the motor out to the end, have you bigger buddy stand on the back of the picker for ballast. I have seen the old, flip the works happen, and alot of damage from everything flipping. Jim H. covered the job. Take your TIME. If in doubt call ERA or get someone here on the ERA forum. Watch the brake lines. I throw a little level on the intake manifold to check the side to side level of the motor. I go with 1.5 degrees low on the L/S. This is for torque twist. Leave the carb and coolant tank off the motor till installed. Good luck. Ps Bolting the bellhousing to the motor, I use Allen head Bolts with washers that have a 1/4 moon in them for getting them flat on the bellhousing surface. Rick Lake

[Jim Holden]

A couple more errant thoughts:

1. Pre fit the bell housing (check for alignment etc. and pre fit/bolt up the trans while everything is out of the car.

2. Check the alignment of the bell housing to make sure that it is properly centered on the crank. If necessary use the offset alignment pins (or you can do as Doug at the shop does; drill out the alignment holes in the bell housing, align and the "peen over" the edges or spot weld to permanently locate the bell housing... give Doug a call if you want to try that route).

3. Make two "alignment pins" that can be bolted into the bell housing and are long enough to slip the trans onto to help line everything up. These can be made by cutting off the heads of the correct size bolts and cutting a grove in the end so that you can turn them out later with a screwdriver.

4. Make sure that the clutch disc is aligned and the clutch bolted down and torqued to the correct settings before you try to put the engine into the car. It's much easier before rather than later.

5. Check that your throw out bearing/clutch fork all fit correctly and have the correct amount of play before you try to put everything into the car.

6. Oh, and one more thing; make sure you have the correct pilot bushing installed and lubricated for the trans that you are using. Nothing like getting everything together in the car and then realizing that you have forgotten the pilot bearing... or its the wrong size.

Good luck.

Jim

PS: ...and Ol' Rick Lake is correct about the type of bolts to use. The Allens with small diameter washers is the way to go. You may still have to clearance one or two spots so that the washers lie flat against the bell housing flange.

[Traveller]

All good info. thanks fellas.

I've got everything drained, unplugged, unscrewed and unbolted with the exception of the tranny. I think I'll unbutton the motor at the bell housing and pull it first, then drop the tranny/bell housing. Pulling everything in one unit is tempting, but I'm not sure the gain-pain would be worth it.

[Traveller]

Check that, on second thought I'm pulling the motor/bell housing together.

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

You might want to reconsider and remove the trans and then the bellhousing before pulling the engine, as you might have problems with clearance. With the bellhousing being mounted forces you to pull the engine too far forward. Otherwise, it's pretty routine, just take your time. Good luck.

Hosted on Fotki

Hosted on Fotki

[Pete Munroe]

We installed a 427" in ERA 628 WITH the bell housing/clutch on. Transmission was not on. Engine had about 7-10 degrees tilt to the rear.

The key thing was for us was to use a chain-fall winch. The chain-fall gives great control. Engine goes straight up/down, not in an arc as when using a cherry picker.

Also, as you push/pull on a cherry picker, the engine starts to swing like a pendulum.

With the chain hoist roll the car back/forth a little to help finesse the engine down and back. Out of line left/right use the floor-jack to pull the car sideways till you are lined up and lower away.

On my ERA 289, we installed a 289 w/bell-housing/clutch on. The cherry picker arm was barely long enough.

The FIA car we hung the engine at a 45-60 degree angle by bolting the chain sling to the front of the cylinder heads and the intake manifold.

Floor floor jack under the pan to stop the descent and help work it back.

Had one guy in the car to pull the engine back, another on the headers and another on the picker.

Would have preferred the chain hoist.

Tape some heavy cardboard to the firwall/cowl, padding for the fenders and THREE guys can really help...

Pete