OK guys,

I can get the motor stripped in under an hour now since I had so much practice.

I'm not taking the hood off the car.

90 Auto.

I can drop the oil pan if it helps.

Do I have to drop the trans?

Anyone who has done this and provide some tips would be greatly appreciated.

I have about a month before I get started, so I'm collecting information at this point.

Thanks.

Glad to hear you're not removing the hood. That's just more work and totally unnecessary on these cars. With an automatic, if you don't have a reason to remove the trans, leave it in the car. The engine only has to come forward a slight distance to clear it. The top bellhousing bolts are a little tricky but you may be able to get them from the top if your intake's off or at least down to it's base. I always remove my intake before pulling the engine and put it back on after installation. But mine's an LT1 so of course it's much simpler to R&R. I have a 3 foot long 3/8" drive extension that's great for bellhousing bolts too, coupled with a 9/16" swivel socket. No reason to remove the oil pan, it won't be a hindrance. Hope I've helped some, good luck.

I don't understand why removing the hood is such a big deal....i pulled the hood off to get mine out all i did was mark where the bolts and shims lined up on the frame rail pulled the four bolts and 6 wire connectors off she come...pulled engine and tranny together...plan on putting her back in same way...mind you i figured while i had her a part i'd pull the trans to so as i could clean her up....if i am missing something regarding the hood please let me know cause i feel i am with all the talk on not removing it asides from that she come out lickity split simplest pull I';ve ever done and trust me I've got lots of practice on different vehicles...good luck on yours jsup

Well aside from it's being unnecessary, I work by myself and it's also a heavy mofo. I just can't understand why anyone would take it off when it stands nearly straight up and is completely out of the way.
I should add here that I am talking about pulling only the engine, not the engine and trans as a unit. It's also never been my preference to remove or install (particularly install) engines and transmissions bolted together, in most cases.

Ok I can see that if you are working alone fortunately help is never far for me as my father shares the same hobby and so does the neighbour across the way

The problem with taking the hood off is one of space, and fear of scratching it.

I guess I need to unbolt the trans and support the weight from underneath?

Also, unbolt the torque converter, right?

yeah. toss a tranny jack under it. unbolt converter from flexplate and pop it back with a prybar/screwdriver.

Quote:
Yes, remove the three converter bolts (15mm wrench) and support the trans on a floor jack with a small piece of plywood or something on top of the jack to protect the pan. This way you can raise the trans a bit at a time as you raise the engine, until it's clear of the mounts. Then you can bring it forward a bit to clear the dowels and bring it on up. Block the trans in this raised position and it'll be ready to go back together when the time comes. When you drop it back in, plant the dowels into the bellhousing, run the middle bolts in on either side and drop it down on the mounts. If you've replaced the front trans seal or had the converter out for any other reason, make sure it is fully seated back into the pump. If it is, you can still turn the converter once the engine is mounted flush to the trans, in fact they'll be a bit of distance between it and the flex plate until you draw it in with the converter bolts. Here's a tip. If you look, you'll see that one of the converter bolt holes in the flex plate looks different than the other two. If you put that bolt in first, you can tighten it down and the remaining two will be lined up perfectly. This saves you from having to go around twice to first start, and then tighten all of the converter bolts. Mark that unique hole and have it at the bottom before you drop the engine back in, just a little time and labor saver.

Thanks, I don't need to take off the U-Joints or trans mount right?

also, I'm going to replace the converter while I'm there.

does that change anything?

Quote:
Not really. Pop in a new seal just for the hell of it and make sure the converter's fully seated back into the pump, as I mentioned before.

So basically, is it really as easy as getting off 8 bolts (six on the bell housing and two motor mounts) supporting the trans, and it's out?

Besides getting off all the accessories, exhaust, and stuff, of course.

Seems too easy.....

will the trans move enough to allow me to lift it right out?

Anything I need to know about the physical lifting of it?