Taking the bloody engine out the top now...
" i should put up a poll , i bet almost everyone here has there own lift at there house."
Now think about that statement and the audience you're talking about. I guarantee less than 5% have their own lift, most guys balk at spending $1200 on headers, having a lift in the garage is not exactly cheap.
And we do it using rhino ramps and jack stands. ALL of it from tranny swaps, clutch changes, full exhaust work, and oh my no power tools!!
Now think about that statement and the audience you're talking about. I guarantee less than 5% have their own lift, most guys balk at spending $1200 on headers, having a lift in the garage is not exactly cheap.
And we do it using rhino ramps and jack stands. ALL of it from tranny swaps, clutch changes, full exhaust work, and oh my no power tools!!
lifts arent that expensive. i paid 200 dollars for mine. i spent 28 bucks on some new seals and it works great. its a 7000 pound two post lift. if you look you can find um used. talk to shops that will be buying new ones soon. i wouldve got mine for free but i wasnt around the day the lift guys took it down. they made me pay the 200 kuz they took it down. i still wasnt complainin. hers i pic where you can kinda see it on the side. it may need a paint job, but it works great.
Originally Posted by Viper
And we do it using rhino ramps and jack stands. ALL of it from tranny swaps, clutch changes, full exhaust work, and oh my no power tools!!
Oh, and Kory, don't throw in the towel man.
What a nightmare, Lithium. I have been following your posts for a long time and don't you dare throw in the towel now, you have come so far. I know it's really shitty but just imagine when you have everything finished, and you can look back and laugh at this disaster.
Originally Posted by leonpiper69
man i new people in the south were inbred but i thought if you could use a computer you could read!!!!!!!
Just pulled mine out today from the bottom. Had most of it done Monday but couldn't get one bolt un-done. Last of the k-member bolts...came out easy at first and the last few threads were a bitch so I took a break and came back at it earlier tonight. Had it out and lifted the car up with the engine hoist. Went very smooth. Had the back tires on ramps, a jack under the k-member, a jack under the transmission mount bolt, and I left the front wheels on to be able to roll the motor around on the garage floor. Worked GREAT and had everything out easily. My buddy and I won't think twice about tearing into his 97 now that we've done my '98.
I expect it to be harder going back in, only because I need to worry about lining bolts back up as I drop the frame back down, but that shouldn't be too bad at all. Shouldn't even need a new alignment like some people say because the 4 bolts on each side aren't adjustable. You don't even touch the adjustable part of the suspension.
Should have the new motor in this weekend once all the rest of my parts come in.
Used nothing but a breaker bar, a couple sockets, ratchets, and wrenches, two jackstands, two ramps, an engine hoist, and 6 tires to stack underneath the framerails to lay the car on while being k-member-less. Only "special" tool I needed was the fuel line quick disconnect tool my g/f picked up for me at Autozone.
I expect it to be harder going back in, only because I need to worry about lining bolts back up as I drop the frame back down, but that shouldn't be too bad at all. Shouldn't even need a new alignment like some people say because the 4 bolts on each side aren't adjustable. You don't even touch the adjustable part of the suspension.
Should have the new motor in this weekend once all the rest of my parts come in.
Used nothing but a breaker bar, a couple sockets, ratchets, and wrenches, two jackstands, two ramps, an engine hoist, and 6 tires to stack underneath the framerails to lay the car on while being k-member-less. Only "special" tool I needed was the fuel line quick disconnect tool my g/f picked up for me at Autozone.
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Joined: Jul 2003
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Originally Posted by ramairws6
Honestly......there is no easier way to do this then out the bottom with the complete engine, trans, and crossmember. Nice to have a hoist but definatley not needed. Like the guy said in his ealier post.........jacks work just as well. I really wish the guys that swear by taking it out the top would just try out the bottom once. They would never go back to their old ways?! 
Traver
TraverAbsolutely!
There is a reason that the GM manual for our cars clearly says that the engine was designed to come out the bottom...
I wonder how many of the guys that claim taking it out the top is easier even have a GM manual (and have READ it)...
I use my hoist (mostly) to hold the engine from the top while I am taking stuff loose. Then to lower the engine and tranny down onto a dolly.