When you get an engine rebuilt, do you have to remove the engine and send it in?
If you are dealing with a machine shop directly then most likely they just want the engine without any accessories or brackets. If you take it to an auto shop they can take it out, but holy **** will it cost you. You can do it yourself as long as you read up on how and have the proper tools.
TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 471
Likes: 14
From: Tucker, GA
You can remove and install an engine solo. Its not that hard - just complex. Get a good book on the car, and settle in for a read, then go tool shopping. Then take your time, label everything, and be careful and you'll be fine.
Even if you have to buy the cherry picker, jack stands, and all tools its STILL cheaper to pull it yourself...which is crazy since a shop with a lift will drop it out the bottom in 2-3 hours assuming they have any experience with F-bodies.
Get a buddy to help you for beer and pizza and knock it out from the bottom. Its a 4-6hr job if you've done it before, but give yourself a weekend for the first time to give you time to run to the autoparts store to grab things you forgot(or replace things you break
). It is not a difficult job per se, just time consuming. Lots of good guides and pictures floating around.
The money you save on removal/re-installation will probably cover a basic rebuild itself!
Get a buddy to help you for beer and pizza and knock it out from the bottom. Its a 4-6hr job if you've done it before, but give yourself a weekend for the first time to give you time to run to the autoparts store to grab things you forgot(or replace things you break
). It is not a difficult job per se, just time consuming. Lots of good guides and pictures floating around.The money you save on removal/re-installation will probably cover a basic rebuild itself!
Plus once the engine is out they will charge you to tear it apart. The further down you can tear it apart the less it will cost. When i had mine rebuilt i had it down to just the long block(crank and pistons still in.)
They were going to charge an arm and a leg to break it down. Its just nuts and bolts. Stay organized and label everything in baggies or containers. I also assembled everything and installed the t bakc in with just the help of a friend in a weekend.
They were going to charge an arm and a leg to break it down. Its just nuts and bolts. Stay organized and label everything in baggies or containers. I also assembled everything and installed the t bakc in with just the help of a friend in a weekend.
Here's some links to start your research:
http://bowlingss.com/LS1_How_To.htm
very first video
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ls1-fbody.html
Both the above are LS1, but only differ slightly.
http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum...out-the-bottom
LT1 related
Most writeups I see the back wheels are sitting high off the ground causing the front end to be hoisted extremely high using an engine hoist. It's not needed. Maybe it's just me, but I hate for heavy objects to be suspended in the air that I'm working close to. The way I did it was to keep the back tires on the ground, use two quality floor jacks on each side with 2 or 3 small blocks of 2X4 on each jack pad just behind the jacking point of the car on a bumpout of the chassis, and used a furniture dolly for the k-member:
Only issue is the air dam may be in the way of the intake when pulling the assembly out from under the car. If you want to avoid it the intake is easy enough to pull off while the engine is still in the car. Also, instead of taking the struts out from the top, I disconnected them from the lower a-arm. For me it makes reinstalling much easier.
http://bowlingss.com/LS1_How_To.htm
very first video
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ls1-fbody.html
Both the above are LS1, but only differ slightly.
http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum...out-the-bottom
LT1 related
Most writeups I see the back wheels are sitting high off the ground causing the front end to be hoisted extremely high using an engine hoist. It's not needed. Maybe it's just me, but I hate for heavy objects to be suspended in the air that I'm working close to. The way I did it was to keep the back tires on the ground, use two quality floor jacks on each side with 2 or 3 small blocks of 2X4 on each jack pad just behind the jacking point of the car on a bumpout of the chassis, and used a furniture dolly for the k-member:
Only issue is the air dam may be in the way of the intake when pulling the assembly out from under the car. If you want to avoid it the intake is easy enough to pull off while the engine is still in the car. Also, instead of taking the struts out from the top, I disconnected them from the lower a-arm. For me it makes reinstalling much easier.
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Here's some links to start your research:
http://bowlingss.com/LS1_How_To.htm
very first video
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ls1-fbody.html
Both the above are LS1, but only differ slightly.
http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum...out-the-bottom
LT1 related
Most writeups I see the back wheels are sitting high off the ground causing the front end to be hoisted extremely high using an engine hoist. It's not needed. Maybe it's just me, but I hate for heavy objects to be suspended in the air that I'm working close to. The way I did it was to keep the back tires on the ground, use two quality floor jacks on each side with 2 or 3 small blocks of 2X4 on each jack pad just behind the jacking point of the car on a bumpout of the chassis, and used a furniture dolly for the k-member:
Only issue is the air dam may be in the way of the intake when pulling the assembly out from under the car. If you want to avoid it the intake is easy enough to pull off while the engine is still in the car. Also, instead of taking the struts out from the top, I disconnected them from the lower a-arm. For me it makes reinstalling much easier.
http://bowlingss.com/LS1_How_To.htm
very first video
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...ls1-fbody.html
Both the above are LS1, but only differ slightly.
http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum...out-the-bottom
LT1 related
Most writeups I see the back wheels are sitting high off the ground causing the front end to be hoisted extremely high using an engine hoist. It's not needed. Maybe it's just me, but I hate for heavy objects to be suspended in the air that I'm working close to. The way I did it was to keep the back tires on the ground, use two quality floor jacks on each side with 2 or 3 small blocks of 2X4 on each jack pad just behind the jacking point of the car on a bumpout of the chassis, and used a furniture dolly for the k-member:
Only issue is the air dam may be in the way of the intake when pulling the assembly out from under the car. If you want to avoid it the intake is easy enough to pull off while the engine is still in the car. Also, instead of taking the struts out from the top, I disconnected them from the lower a-arm. For me it makes reinstalling much easier.
I see that AC in the background, lucky bastard! I just have 2x box fans and lift the garage doors ~2ft lol.
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Teching In
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
From: Marianna, Fl
not to jack a thread but why is it everyone pulls from the bottom? I yanked my LT1 with the T56 through the hood in about 4 hours on my first time. Getting it back in was about 5 because our cherry picker was missing a wheel and couldn't be rolled. Doing this also let me take my time on the rebuild without clogging up my dad's garage, his mustang project cant sit out side yet.
Only trick is the spindle is usually fused to the balljoint on the upper a-arm so it can take some force kicking the lower a-arm to get the spindle and upper a-arm to separate.
It was great because while working on the car the A/C would blast on me and I had a ceiling fan just above the car as well. This was the house in VA. Moved since then and where I'm at now the heat and humidity are a non issue, so I can just open the window in the garage and Saul Goodman. It's just the altitude that sucks ***.
For me it's just easier. It's not for everyone, but for me I don't have to use a load leveler, don't have to take out the radiator, don't have to mess with the hood, ect. Id' feel far more comfortable with another pair of eyes when hoisting out the top, but out the bottom it's a cake walk. Also, taking the engine out the bottom is an even better experience with a lift.
I see that AC in the background, lucky bastard! I just have 2x box fans and lift the garage doors ~2ft lol.
For me it's just easier. It's not for everyone, but for me I don't have to use a load leveler, don't have to take out the radiator, don't have to mess with the hood, ect. Id' feel far more comfortable with another pair of eyes when hoisting out the top, but out the bottom it's a cake walk. Also, taking the engine out the bottom is an even better experience with a lift.