Seeking Advice on pulling engine

[Northwest Outlaw]

I recently found a local guy looking to trade his 70’s small block 350 for a straight-six. We are set to swap engines this weekend after he came and checked mine out last weekend.

I’m look for any advice or guidance on pulling the I-6 out. It looks almost to easy to be true but I figured someone has probably run into a problem that hopefully I can avoid. My plan is to pull battery, drain the fluids, disconnect hoses, wires and cables, and crack loose the mounting bolts. The other guy is bringing his engine hoist, as I don’t have one, to pull the I-6 from my truck straight onto his trailer.

Where is the best place to hook the chain?
Should I keep the engine and transmission together or leave the trans in the truck?
Remove the radiator for more room?

Please let me know what you’ve found that worked best, or things to avoid.

[awbrown]

I always leave the trans in the truck ..

[scuderia]

pull the hood and radiator... A hoist leveler helps a lot too.

[Mathew21]

Originally Posted by scuderia

pull the hood and radiator... A hoist leveler helps a lot too.

X2 That's how I do it.

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Get a chain & hook one end to the coil mount bolt hole with a long 3/8 bolt. Wrap the other end around the intake manifold behind the carb. Hook the hoist to this chain. It will balance real good. Unbolt the engine from the bell housing & pull it forward & up. The bell housing has the mounts under it so it will stay put. Put a stand under the rear of the trans so it won't drop very far. If you are using a cherry picker type hoist you don't really have to pull the hood. Just loosen it up & kick it back. You are right. This is an easy one to pull. The v-8 will bolt to the same housing.

[WOLFMANmike]

Originally Posted by Wrenchbender Ret

Get a chain & hook one end to the coil mount bolt hole with a long 3/8 bolt. Wrap the other end around the intake manifold behind the carb. Hook the hoist to this chain. It will balance real good. Unbolt the engine from the bell housing & pull it forward & up. The bell housing has the mounts under it so it will stay put. Put a stand under the rear of the trans so it won't drop very far. If you are using a cherry picker type hoist you don't really have to pull the hood. Just loosen it up & kick it back. You are right. This is an easy one to pull. The v-8 will bolt to the same housing.

you will need v8 engine mounts for this swap . also be safe go slow and make sure that the chain you use is strong enough to hold the engine . and that includes the bolts you use to bolt the chains to the engine when the engine is out and in the air make sure your feet and body are not close to it if a bolt should brake or the chain a falling engine could kill .. and deff brake bones ... leave trans in the truck and pull the hood and the radiator also pull the dizy because if a 500 lb engine bumps the dizy against the truck it can bend the dizy and make a mess of things .... just go slow and be safe and dont cut corners and it will be a easy job

[Northwest Outlaw]

Thanks all for the help, please keep it coming if there is more!

Maybe i should have stated this in the first post, but i'm planning on taking out the transmission too. I have a turbo400 to strap to the new v8 (and all the floor board cutting that goes along with it). Will it be easier to remove the current engine with the trans if they're both set to come out? It's a little chevy 3 speed.

[WOLFMANmike]

Originally Posted by Northwest Outlaw

Thanks all for the help, please keep it coming if there is more!

Maybe i should have stated this in the first post, but i'm planning on taking out the transmission too. I have a turbo400 to strap to the new v8 (and all the floor board cutting that goes along with it). Will it be easier to remove the current engine with the trans if they're both set to come out? It's a little chevy 3 speed.

Yes leave them connected then ... but you should know that your TH400 is going to require your drive shafts be cut down . And also have different yolks made for it ... so now this won't be a swap and driving down the road the same day again swap just making sure you know that ... also I would stress to you if you can do it . Since you have to do work to the drive shafts I would go with a one piece shaft now. No more carrier bearing is a nice upgrade

[scuderia]

Originally Posted by WOLFMANmike

you will need v8 engine mounts for this swap .

Since he doesn't have a 292 in there, engine mounts should be the same I believe.

[Captainfab]

You should not have to do anything with the engine mounts since this engine is a 230 or 250. However since this is in a '61 and someone has added the side engine mounts, it is possible they may not be quite right.

Yes you can pull the engine, bellhousing and trans all at once. Be aware that when converting to an auto trans, you will need to remove the bellhousing crossmember. If your truck is a longbed, I would stay with a 2 piece driveshaft if that is what it currently has. Just have the front shaft shortened for the TH400. Does the TH400 have a slip yoke or a bolt on yoke?

[WOLFMANmike]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

You should not have to do anything with the engine mounts since this engine is a 230 or 250. However since this is in a '61 and someone has added the side engine mounts, it is possible they may not be quite right.

Yes you can pull the engine, bellhousing and trans all at once. Be aware that when converting to an auto trans, you will need to remove the bellhousing crossmember. If your truck is a longbed, I would stay with a 2 piece driveshaft if that is what it currently has. Just have the front shaft shortened for the TH400. Does the TH400 have a slip yoke or a bolt on yoke?

not to argue im just curious Captn why do you say stay 2 piece drive shaft ? i have a long bed 65 and its got a 1 piece in it . and the way i see it is its one less thing to have to maintain as in a wear part .. so im asking out of curiosity what you see as a problem with a set up like that .. so if one comes my way then ill know right where to look thanks Happy Truckin

[dubds10]

Just pull the entire front clip off, make everything so much easier and then you can clean and paint the frame while at it. It's really not the hard to pull the clip on and off with two people. I've done myself too many times and it's difficult lifting it all together alone, but easier than pulling parts individually. Had no engine hoist just muscle, but if you've got a buddy to help it'll go by fast.

I prefer pulling engine and trans together when I do as it's less bolts to mess around with and if you're doing a full swap you may as well.

[Sik5chevy]

It could be a 327 truck but more than likely a 350 you got to look at the suffix letter on the front passenger side on a pad. If it's got a 3 letter suffix like Cmj or Ckk it would 70's or later and don't think they made a 327 with a two digit suffix past 69, so that should be easy.
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[Sik5chevy]

The pad we are talking about is right front passenger side below the head facing up and there may be an alternator mounted in front of it and it probably has a thick layer of paint over it
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[Sik5chevy]

I'm done I'm past what I know-sorry couldn't be of more help

[Northwest Outlaw]

Originally Posted by cv65

read this http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/sbc-...ock-46624.html

Yes, good read. Seems to agree with the year based size.

Originally Posted by Sik5chevy

I'm done I'm past what I know-sorry couldn't be of more help

Thanks man, it's a doozy

This is from that Z28 site: My point here I guess is... trying to decode "3970010" is almost pointless. It's a 350. If you're trying to buy a 350 and you see this thing laying on the ground, then there it is. But if you want to know EXACTLY what the thing is - you need more than the casting #. Once you identify something - like the above vette block, then you can conclude what other pieces and parts should have been on it, and check those casting #'s. And/or - you can check dates to make sure everything came together when original.
ONE NOTE: Casting #'s will trump the code on a descrepancy. Take the above CLJ example. In 1987 CLJ is a 305 L69 in a monte carlo, or in 1971 it's a 400 from a monte carlo. So when the arguement over 305, 350 or 400 comes up... now you look at the casting #. 3970010.... bang, it's a 350. That eliminates the 400 and 305 possibilities.

So it seems a safe bet based on PO information of a '71, 4 bolt, 350 is true. Thanks for the help guys

[cv65]

dont mean to leave you hangin but gota go,maybe somebody in the drivetrain board could help ya