Pulling the engine tomorrow!!!

by wokrdan AKA BU Balls Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:03 am

So I got an engine stand for my birthday and a buddy of mine is letting me borrow his engine stand tomorrow. The hood and fenders are off and...I have no idea where to start. Anyone ever pull a 350 out of a 74 before? (hint hint, Limey?) Where do I start, what needs to be drained so I don't make a mess, and what things need to be disconnected? Also, what tools will I need?

by bigredlaguna Tue Oct 13, 2009 8:34 am

Tools you'll need
1) Engine hoist
2) load leveler or length of chain
3) 9/16 bolts of various lengths and washers to attach chain(s) to engine
4) At least 4 9/16 bolts to attach engine to stand
5) basic wrench set- unlikely that you will have any metric bolts, but is possible.
6) socket set with extensions
7) screwdrivers and pliers
8 ) Tailshaft plug- if tranny is being pulled at same time
9) floor jack & length of 2x4- to hold up tranny if it is staying in the car
10) WD40, PB blaster, etc for rusted bolts and nuts
11) A buddy to help
12) BEER for when the job is done!! (and recruiting the buddy)
13) Patience, patience, patience

by The Dude Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:03 pm

Been a while since I pulled a motor, not gonna lie. Therefore I'm probably gonna forget some things. I'm more of a remember at the moment kind of guy, LOL. Anyways, the only thing you really HAVE to drain is the radiator, but you might as well drain the trans to help prevent a dirty mess if you're pulling it. I personally prefer pulling it all, since trying to bolt up a transmission to an engine is so much easier out of the car. Bigredlaguna has a pretty good list of tools, but I would also keep some shop towels close by.

Here is the most important thing to do assuming you've never done this before:

Get some masking tape, a permanent marker, & some freezer bags/coffee cans! Everything needs to be labeled & score yourself more points if you take detailed pics. Even though everything seems to come apart easy, when you try putting it all back together it isn't always as easy.

I suggest double checking everything before you pull or at least lift it just a little & re-check. Disconnect the starter wires, engine grounds, all other electrical wires, & vacuum lines. Don't forget the transmission lines. Pull the radiator completely out after it's drained. Make sure your everything clears like the heater, master cylinder, & steering components as you are lifting. If it seems like something is holding you back, that's a good sign to lower it a little & recheck. The motor is gonna need some guidance as you get it higher, but take your time so you don't throw your motor into your front seat. Shocked

Also I know this should be common sense, but make sure you can roll either the cherry picker or car backwards when it's time to lower the engine onto the ground/stand.

I'm sure this isn't everything, but pulling a motor isn't all that hard once you get into it. Just remember to label everything or installation is gonna be a B****.

by orange Juiced Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:29 pm

bigredlaguna wrote:Tools you'll need
1) Engine hoist
2) load leveler or length of chain
3) 9/16 bolts of various lengths and washers to attach chain(s) to engine
4) At least 4 9/16 bolts to attach engine to stand
5) basic wrench set- unlikely that you will have any metric bolts, but is possible.
6) socket set with extensions
7) screwdrivers and pliers
8 ) Tailshaft plug- if tranny is being pulled at same time
9) floor jack & length of 2x4- to hold up tranny if it is staying in the car
10) WD40, PB blaster, etc for rusted bolts and nuts
11) A buddy to help
12) BEER for when the job is done!! (and recruiting the buddy)
13) Patience, patience, patience

#12 is the most important step of them all! lol

by Limey SE Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:34 pm

wokrdan AKA BU Balls wrote:So I got an engine stand for my birthday and a buddy of mine is letting me borrow his engine stand tomorrow. The hood and fenders are off and...I have no idea where to start. Anyone ever pull a 350 out of a 74 before? (hint hint, Limey?) Where do I start, what needs to be drained so I don't make a mess, and what things need to be disconnected? Also, what tools will I need?

tools are in order by now i hope just seen this

DONT REALY ON CHAIN GET THE LEVELER SAVE A LOT OF FLUID MESS

1. Dis-connect battery since your driving it.
2.remove the trans-bolt and engine mounts, and driveshaft
3. drain rad fluid (put garage diaper down to elimanate the sticky floor going to inside house your wife will love ya for this step)
4. drain trans fluid and filter
5.drain oil and filter at this point level the engine (hope fully still connected trans) slant it downwards to drain all excess oils into catch pan (need 2 if not 3)
6. this is the time to remove rad to prevent damage (i also pulled the core support to ease removal) this allows you to re-install body bushing as well !!
7. remove heat/air lines while motor is still on drain mode
8. remove all electrical connections (hopefully at this time you are bagging/tagging) will wait while you run out and get baggies WITH ziplock's save mucho headaches
9. you remembered more beer with the baggies RIGHT ??
10. sit down have a beer
11. start to ease engine/trans outta car DONT FORGET THE TAILSHAFT PLUG AS WELL (SEE END OF STEP 3 FOR THIS ONE) ANYMORE QUESTIONS GIVE ME A BUZZ

by wokrdan AKA BU Balls Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:26 pm

So here's what I've done over the past 3 days:

sliced my knuckles open on the tranny pan

spilled anti-freeze, transmission fluid, and oil all over my garage floor (This one was quite fun. I now have a Carhartt of many colors due to being under the car when I pulled the plugs. I guess I had to learn sometime.)

painfully spent 4 hours taking off three rusted bolts attaching the headers to the exhaust pipes because the clearance I had gave me about 1/2" to move my wrench (and the realizing later that if I had just pulled the starter off, I could have saved about 3 hours)

almost dropped the starter on my face from disconnecting the mounting bolts and laying directly underneath it, only to be saved by my own idiocy of not disconnecting the cables first (about 2 inches from my face.)

Spent about an hour in a wrestling match with the cherry picker over who was gonna get my engine. (I obviously won, but could have saved sometime by just looking to make sure that all the loose cables I had disconnected were out of the way before pulling. I thank my wife for going out to the garage after I had given up and pointing out the fact of "What does that big black cable do?", referring to the (+) lead of the battery terminal that was hung up on the corner.

All in all, it took me 3 days and about 10 hours each day pulling it by myself. If I had to do it again, it'd probably take me about 1/3 of that due to all the time I wasted from being an idiot.

(PS: I also had to cut the cable that runs from the gas pedal to the transmission. The little fucker would not come out. If anyone knows what this is or how much to replace it, do tell. It's a thin cable on the passenger side and seems to have a spring inside the tranny.)

by bigredlaguna Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:43 pm

You have now been initiated into the shadetree mechanics society, welcome my friend! Notice how patience is a very important tool.

All of us who work on our own cars have stories like this. I'm glad that you didn't have the starter embed itself into your face- that woulda sucked.

The cable you mentioned is the kickdown cable and shouldn't be very much to replace. did you disconnect the carb end first?

by wokrdan AKA BU Balls Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:21 am

Well, I would have disconnected it, but it was connected to the gas pedal through the firewall. Everyone I've talked to said it should run up to the carb and is odd. Anyone care to shed some light on this issue?

by IndyG3 Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:35 am

You know, I would laugh about this whole thread, then I remembered I'm going to be doing an engine swap fairly soon What a Face

by bigredlaguna Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:40 am

I don't know of any cable that is routed like that from the factory. If you can post up some pics that might help.
If someone else worked on the car it may be possible that they forgot where to reconnect the cable. Do you know any of it's history?

by bigredlaguna Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:45 am

In any case the end opposite the tranny end should be disconnected first. That way the outer sleeve can be slid away from the transmission and expose the cable connection. It is kind of a dogleg wire that the cable is attached to.

by BlackChevelleSS Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:30 am

the factory was attached to the gas pedal. It is a major pain to disconnect.

by 74Malibu383 Mon Oct 19, 2009 12:10 pm

My original kickdown cable connected to my gas pedal as well. It connects in the same fashion as the throttle cable does. Two little tabs you squeeze and push the end through the pedal. Shouldn't be that hard to disconnect. However, if you disconnect it from the transmission first and tie it off somewhere, you shouldn't even have to mess with the pedal.

You need to make sure you didn't crack the plastic housing that connects to the transmission. I did this a long time ago, and had to get a new one. Any GM dealership parts department should have one for you. Last time I bought one, it was $35.00

BTW - It's actually called a Detent Cable.

by novaderrik Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:05 pm

BlackChevelleSS wrote:the factory was attached to the gas pedal. It is a major pain to disconnect.

the kickdown cable takes like 3 seconds to unhook- it comes out just like the throttle cable. just crawl under the dash, pull the cable back a little bit, and remove the little plastic retainer to allow the cable to pass thru the pedal. to get the cable loose from the firewall, just squeeze the tabs together with a pliers and push it out towards the engine.
easy squeezy.

by BlackChevelleSS Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:41 am

never comes loose for me easy...guess im just a retard then since no one else seems to have a problem with squeezing under the dash and fishing to the pedel and getting the pliers somehow over the pedel and straight enough to squeeze the tabs and pull it or push it out at the same time while still squeeing the tabs... yep guess im just stupid....

by wokrdan AKA BU Balls Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:02 pm

Done!!! (well, almost.) Now, where's a good place to get new stuff? What kinds of things do you suggest getting?

by The Dude Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:35 pm

Well for starters you could use one of these:

Pulling the engine tomorrow!!! 20

What are you looking for when you say "new stuff"? You mean like motor mounts, gaskets, etc.?

by novaderrik Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:41 am

BlackChevelleSS wrote:never comes loose for me easy...guess im just a retard then since no one else seems to have a problem with squeezing under the dash and fishing to the pedel and getting the pliers somehow over the pedel and straight enough to squeeze the tabs and pull it or push it out at the same time while still squeeing the tabs... yep guess im just stupid....

don't use a pliers- use a thin flat blade screwdriver to push one tab thru the firewall, then the other.. and you don't have to crawl under the dash- just kneel down next to the car and reach under the dash to the pedal to do everything. it's a 30 second operation.
after you screw around with enough cars, you start to develop your own little tricks to make things easier.

by McCauley5983 Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:40 pm

my kickdown cable is routed straight to the gaspedal to ive never heard of it either and thought it was aftermarket but knowing other cars have it the same way leads me to think otherwise by the way a steelbraided kickdown cable can be had at autozone for under 15 bucks i had to cut the lead cable stop off the kickdown cable too

by McCauley5983 Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:49 pm

for the people that have the kickdown cable routed to gas pedal where was ur car manufactured becuz the most 3rd gen a bodies ive seen in junkyards usually have it mounted to carb

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