Front crossmember removal; lift engine out first? (kinda O/T...73+)

[Canada20]

Hey all. I'm pretty sure the answer to this is yes but I thought I'd ask anyway;

Is it totally necessary to lift the engine out of a truck to remove the crossmember. I've done a little searching on this and people seem to usually remove the engine but it seems to me someone mentioned it wasn't totally necessary. I know that if i was going to be perfectly safe the answer would be a definite "pull the sucker" but...

The reason I ask is that the scrapyard i visited today had plenty of 3/4 ton's with pretty intact front assemblies but they all still had their engines. Was kind of hoping someone would've done the work for me already and taken the engines out.
I'm going to take the crossmember from a 73+ so I can get disk brakes.

Thanks all,
Greg

[Truckstr]

It's not totally necessary. It's just a little easier to do if the engine is out.

Basically, it's just quetion of supporting the engine and getting to all of the bolts. Some of the bolts a booger to get to with the engine and mounts still attached to the frame - even if the crossmember is otherwise loose.

Jeff

[Hooter]

As long as the engine is supported you dont need to take it out. But how hard is it to pull a motor out of a chevy truck anyways. I have done it so much that me and my friend Andrew can have one out in a half an hour. I guess it would be harder in the middle of a junkyard though.

[Longhorn Man]

Have the junk yard guys come out with a torch and get that engine out in 5 min.

[Southpa]

I replaced my entire front x-member in my driveway a few years ago with the engine still in. Piece o' cake! I used a 12" square piece of plywood on a jack to support the center at the oilpan. I left the engine on the towers and just unbolted the lower tower bolts from the x-member. The upper bolts are still attached to the framerail.

[Bowed]

So I take it from the above posts that a complete 3/4 ton 8 lug front suspension from a 73 and up C20 will bolt into a 67 - 72 3/4 ton C20 frame ???? What else will you have to change to complete the swap ??

[Canada20]

Bowed; from what I understand of it, it's about as close as you can get to a bolt in swap, just take the crossmember and everything that's bolted to it (upper/lower arms, idler arm, spindles, tie rods...everything) and it'll bolt right in. You will need to elongate a couple of holes on the 67-72 though. That's my understanding, anyway.

Hooter; this would be the first time I'd be yanking an engine which might not be such a bad idea anyway just for the sake of experience. That's the reason I was hoping I could just undo everything from underneath and sneak away with it.

All the rest; thanks for the advice on this. It's encouraging. I don't know if the yard guys will pull engines or not but it definitely doesn't hurt to ask. :p

The question I should be asking myself before ANY of this is whether or not the front X-member with everything hanging off of it will fit in my nice clean Civic. I love hatchbacks but this might be a little too hopeful. :p


Greg

[Longhorn Man]

Hold on a tick...
I remember some one on here (probably Fast) saying that the 3/4 ton front end was EXACTLY the same on the 73 and up (to a certian year) as it was on our trucks.
If this is the case, then all you would need to do is spindals.
Can anyone shed light on this, am i correct, or am I confusing things again?

[crazy longhorn]

71- 86 use the same balljoints, tierods , ect on the 3/4 tons, but if you are swapping a drum brake truck to discs you will have to change the balljoints, tierods, & most likely the center link. The pcs can be swapped on to the exsiting crossmember, but it would be good to have all the pcs you can get from the same truck....

[Longhorn Man]

Ok, nevermind then. Thanks Al.

[crazy longhorn]

The wild part is that the 3/4 tons kept the steel bushings in the a arms long after the 1/2 ton gave them up. i cant say for sure into the 80's , but my 78 C 20 still had steel bushings.

[Longhorn Man]

THAT'S what I was remembering!

[Don Brace]

Greg
My truck is a 3/4 69 and I put disc brakes from a 92 3/4 van on it. It was easy. I got the cross member with the brakes off the van, removed the A arms and breaks as a unit, from the van cross member and after removing the complete suspension from my truck, I bolted the van suspension on to my truck. Did not use the van cross member as it was wider that the 69 cross member. Had to use the 69 sway bar also as the van bar was too wide. My son helped me do the exchange. Took most of a day.
Don Brace

[Bowed]

What I mean is if I get an entire 3/4 ton front end from a 73- 86 year C 20 complete from X member to spindles , It will just bolt up to my 67 chevy C20 with only changing a tie rod end at the pitman arm and a different master cyl for the newer disc brakes , Am I right ???

[crazy longhorn]

Yes Bowed, it should pretty much bolt in. My understanding is that there are a couple holes that need to be egged out to bolt the crossmember,&if you have all the steer linkage including pitman arm from the later truck you should be in good shape. the master needs to be changed going to disc brakes, as well as the prop valve. I did my swap onto the original crossmember,& used the original a arms as well.....the rest of the pcs are from a 75(master, prop valve,lines hoses & all). good luck....69 Oops .....one more thought on your 67. If you have powersteering, it will be the old slave type. You may opt to heat & ding the frame to mount the later steering box, to fit all the later pcs together.......

[Don Brace]

Bowed
It should bolt right up as long as the cross members are the same width. I used my old crosmember because the one from the 92 was about six inches wider.

[Bowed]

Thanks to all for the info .

[68C10]

It's going to be a real challenge to get that complete front end in the back of your clean Civic. I hauled a 1/2 ton unit in the back of a swb Dodge minivan and it took up most of the length. I also used and engine lift to put it in and take it out and I sure wouldn't want to do it any other way. You might want take it apart to get it in the back of that Honda.
Good luck

[racedvl]

If your truck is not drivable, I would try to borrow a buddy's truck. I would not try to put that inside a Honda.

[Canada20]

thanks for the replies, folks. Good info.

One thing I LOVE about having a hatchback is people standing nearby in a parking lot saying "There's no way you're gonna get that in there" and then feeding them a big **** eating grin and stuffing whatever it was in there anyway. :p

That's cocky though and you and I'm gonna get burned on it sooner or later. Even if i could get the x-member in there. all kinds of grease, grime, rust and brake fluid might be spilling around anyway. That is if i could even heft it.....hmm... anyone wanna lend me your truck for the weekend?

anyone?


heh...didn't think so.


Don; I think all vans had a wider front track/crossmember than the trucks/suburbans though it's good to know something as new as '92 will work. That might even be a better idea in some ways (the newer the better, right?).

I'm wanting the 73+ crossmember instead of the one in there for 1} simplicity; just grab all the stuff that hangs off it and go and 2} I read an article that states it'seasier to find headers to fit BBC engines with the 73+ 'member. Can't afford them ow but it'll be nice o have some choice

Thanks again, all...

Greg