Well,...that Wasn't Fun.

CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
10,641
9,253
234
Birmingham, al
I just drug my ass in from the driveway. That engine install had to be just about the hardest damn thing I've done in a while.

Car is 2 feet in the air,....I have the engine and trans bolted together w/ only the starter bolted on as far as accys go. I set the chain to allow the trans to just hang a a slight down angle.

The first obstacle: The combo weighs a ton!! trying to drag the heavy assed combo up onto the slab where the car is proves beyond me. Fortunately,..my 15 year old is around to help. With him pushing,...and me pulling,...I get it up on the slab,

mustangbuild077.jpg

while this doesn't show how high the slab was, suffice it to say that I had to drag the damn mess up a 7" rise. It does show how clean I've managed to get everything up front.

mustangbuild075.jpg


The next hurdle comes from the fact that the damn engine is huge! And w/ the trans hooked to it, I had to jack the thing to the 13th floor to get it high enough to clear the radiator saddle.
The problem was,..at that high angle the engine would not tip,..so I couldn't tip the tail shaft into the trans tunnel.

After readjusting the hoist lift point to extend the top another 6" to allow more height ( while simultaneously dropping the load rating from 1 ton to 3/4 ton,...I send the whole mess up to the roof again.
It's still a son of a bi tch. The hoist cylinder is against the bumper, and the engine will not go any further forward,....I pi ss and moan,...yank and tug,..until I decide to get a motorcycle tie down, and ratchet the tail shaft down into the tunnel.

( keep in mind,..that all of this is being supported by a 199.00 harbor freight engine hoist,....the engine weighs a bazillion lbs,....and now I'm adding additional stress by ratcheting the tailshaft down.)

I get it only as far as the harmonic balancer,..it was now hanging up on the radiator saddle. It still will not go,..and now it's kinda past the point of no return.
Some more pi ssing, some more moaning, yanking and tugging,.both me and my son pushing for all we're worth, and now it's dark. Finally it slides past the saddle. ( but not before scratching it, and the firewall above the tunnel opening though):mad:

I finally got it,..but it was the WORST of the 20 or so engine installs I've done in my life. I will NOT be doing that again soon.:fuss:
 
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Sounds like you need to invest in a load leveler. I think mine was $40. Worth their weight in gold. Although, it probably would have made your situation worse because it really cuts down the amount of height you can get out of the cherry picker.
 
I feel your pain. I haven't pulled/installed mine too many times, I think maybe 3 times but even my straight forward 302 has been a PITA a couple of those times. I have this weird issue where my engine sits funny in my K member, we never could figure out what the problem was. It sat lower on the passenger side and the end result was the header hit the steering shaft really bad, so we made a 1/4 inch thick steel shim to go between the motor mount and K member on that side and it solved the problem. We tried different motor mounts and inspected the K and nothing made a difference.
 
Sounds like it was a pain. I have only done a Fox, 302 and C4 together, once, and it worked using just a come along from a bolt above the garage door. Had to move the car back and forth... Engine or trans only since then.

Just did the engine out and in for my 66 Chevelle, engine only. On my downhill sloped driveway. Almost a bigger pita. There is not enough room for the bellhousing to engine bolts w/o dropping the trans. Much cussing, and I expected it!

It helps to push the hood up as far as possible with a pipe or stick. An engine tilter is worth it's weight in gold!
 
I helped a buddy put one in...easily the heaviest trans I've ever picked up. I've rolled T5's over on my chest and put them in by myself...I wasn't even going to attempt that with the T56.
I borrowed a transmission jack from a friend and it became my new best friend when dealing with my Tremec 3550 and will continue being my best friend when I install my new TKO 600. I don't even bother with T5s anymore so I can't just muscle a tranny up there anymore.
 
I thought I saw some cuss words in there but I know they are banned so i had to do a double take and realized they were two separate words clearly NOT in violation of stangnet policy. sarcasm if you couldnt tell

in other words im glad you had fun mike at least you had a helper. at least the cars looking great and the scratches are nothing a little touch up can handle im sure.
 
I borrowed a transmission jack from a friend and it became my new best friend when dealing with my Tremec 3550 and will continue being my best friend when I install my new TKO 600. I don't even bother with T5s anymore so I can't just muscle a tranny up there anymore.

I've put my 3550 in the same was as a T5 but it sucks major ass and takes another set of hands to start the bolts. I don't think the 3550 is quite as heavy as the T56 though.