For all you guys with so much experience removing motors and doing all this stuff, what resources did you use the first time? I know a lot of you may have just decided to "dig in" at some point and do it without any assistance whatsoever, but I'm looking for assistance as I want to make sure I do everything right if I need to do it at all.

What can you guys recommend for someone pulling an LS1 motor for the first time and tearing it down to inspect all the parts?

 

Use baggies and put bolts in them with sticky notes inside so you recall where it goes. Take pictures during the tear down with a camera. Take your time; you are not being timed.

 

I'm sure there is more to it then that.

What about all the wiring, putting everything back to torque specs, what about clearance specs, etc...

Surely everyone gets all this from a resource somewhere?

 

The wiring just lays in place and makes sense where things go; most are connectors that only fit one way.

For torque specs I used this:

 

there is a video on here from the speed channel. it shows what to disconnect to drop from the bottom. i dont have the video bookmarked, but im sure someone knows where it is or you could search for it.

 

thatd be cool

 

It was much easier through the top than I thought

 

ive pulled out the top all my life, but i love going out the bottem on these, it just makes it so easy to work with the accesories and wiring after its out, and have everything in place befor it goes back in. and have done it three times without a lift. its not any harder without a lift if you have the room to work.

 

I had the video in my favorites and a link to a write-up for it coming out of the bottom before my computer crashed. I lost them. Does anyone have them since a search didn't turn up anything.

 

I just did mine out the bottom and its fresh in my mind so can give a few tips.I have no engine hoist just a cherry picker. I used steel drive on ramps turned sideways on the back wheels. Then put safety jacks behind firewall .Put safety jack under trans and floor jack under the engine k member. This gave us a bit more room to loosen up bolts and drop things down. Also bought wheel dollies and first we dropped the front wheels down onto them. Then dropped trans crossmember and then 6 k member bolts.I had preloosened up all the bolts. Never needed an impact but do use an old big 1/2 inch torque wrench as a breaker bar.Had two floor jacks so put one under the trans and lowered it a bit and then engine floor jack a bit till the engine was basically on the ground as was the trans. I had a wood dolly thing as well that put under the trans at the end.So wood dolly under trans and floor jack under engine..wheel dollies..it was easy to push out the side of the car with two people.


We had to put cherry all the way out for the feet and the boom. We also jacked from the front frame rails with a big chain. It was bit farther back so this made it so we had to go a bit higher actually went to end of the cherry's lift range. We could have maybe hooked it closer to the front or hooked lower on the chain.

There is a book on ls1 that details taking it out the bottom but they use a hoist. I unbolted the air compressor and hung it with bungee type rubber cords.I took off steering shaft at both ends and took it right off. There were two grounds I think one on drivers side near the fuse box on the framerail and one by battery on firewall.
Kelliente has a nice article on taking it out the bottom she also used a hoist but picker as said is doable.

I like that can strip everything off right there and then put new engine and trans together and put it back in same way. Can have nearly everything bolted on and their is so much more room on the floor than in the engine compartment. I think it goes a lot faster to put things back when most of the stuff is already on the engine.

 

+1 bottom

 

What is a safety jack?

 

Those little stands that come in 2 ton, 3 ton etc that have like a tripod base and extend up ...

 

Did mine last week, went out the bottom and used two jacks to lift the car no problem. Got Two funiture dollys from harbor frieght to roll it out from underneath.

You cant get the trans and motor out from the top thats the reason I choose the bottom.

Eric

 

I'm going out the top when I pull mine because the car has to be moveable while I swap everything over. My driveway is all grass and rocks so that will be the easiest way for me.

 

What are the steps you took to do this?

 

He is full of ****.

 

We pulled mine out the top No prob. We just had to use a bit of an angle to get her out but we kept the heads on etc.

 

I am planning on pulling my LS1 out of a 98 Camaro soon. Anyone have any good suggestions or a link to a DIY on how to pull it out through the top?

-Don

 

Here you go, this is out the bottom, ive done it twice, it is simple.

http://www.myls1.com/showthread.php?t=1808

To pull it out the top you are removing everything the same underneath but to drop it out the bottom you dont have to remove the trans.