any advice for somebody doing their first engine transplant???

[01maroonz71]

any tips/pointers. the engine bay is completely torn down, im gonna paint, clean everything while i got the engine out. just the long block is still in there, oil pan up to heads, no manifold, nothing else. she's still bolted to the trans TH400. anybody have any tips/tricks to removing the motor once she's free from the trans??? or is it pretty straight forward, move the motor forward then up and out, and reverse for everything else. when i put my other motor in, i used some ratchet straps to hold the trans/case up, but that was a 5spd. anything different with a auto, T.C. etc?????


also, what do i have to do to the new goodwrench motor once i install her, somebody told me about priming the motor with a long ass screw driver, oil pump i recon, and once it comes out up at the V.C. then im good.

thanks guys!!!!
~dave

 

[K5dreamer]

well.... this tip kinda is moot at this point, but im hoping you used a digi camera to take LOTS of pics and kept track of all the small bits and peices in either tubber ware or ziplock bags.

as for the swap and taking the engine out, so long as you have a cherry picker it wont be very hard. only annoying thing i can think you might run into is the bolts at the top of the bellhousing, sometimes they can be really close to the tranny tunnel sheetmetal, but with the intake off, you might be able to get at them from under the hood.

the priming that you were told about is for just before you start the motor, by using a screwdriver, (or an adapter on a power drill) you spin the oil pickup that the distributor sets into and you get the oil in all the passeges and valvetrain and dripping on the cam and such at the critical breakin startup. when you start the engine for the first time, youre supposed to bring the RPM's up to 1500 for 10-15 min (id double check that, but its how ive done it, and it works just fine) so because youre going from never being started, to running under throttle, having oil pumping as soon as possible is critical.

other than that, double check everything before you crank the engine, if youre running an electric pump, run 12v to it and make sure youre getting fuel, set the timing as close as possible but leave the distributor a bit loose, have a buddy (or if youre lucky, spouse) hold the distributor by hand, crank the engine and then adjust the timing by ear to get it running smooth and then start the 10-15 min running cycle at around 1500rpm. you definatly dont want to crank and crank the engine when its brand new. youll wipe the break in lube off the cam and that can sometimes lead to accelerated wear. so make sure you have fuel and spark before you turn the key.

turn the key to run, and then go under the hood, make sure nothing is shorting, nothing is overheating, and that you have voltage to the coil the pump and all that jazz.

now, if youre running a carb, i dont really know what to tell you. most companys will be able to give you a rough guess as to what rods and jets and settings youll need baised on your engine combination, so i would give them a call. id love to help out if i could, but im much more of a fuel injection guy.

 

[01maroonz71]

gotcha...as far as the top bolts, i have a body lift, so that should go good. i did put all fasteners in bags with index cards in them saying what they are. no biggie. im obviously gonna loose some fluid out of the tourque converter, so do i need to top that off when installing it on the new motor???? and i can use my old flexplate right?????

my truck will be carbed, but i have the carb set where my old 350 liked it, so hopefully this one will be close to the same. im gonna use a mechanical fuel pump, so is there a way to prime that, since the lines/filter will be dry when i hook it all up.

 

[CDA 455]

Be patient.

 

[01maroonz71]

haha...my dad said that when i first started. i didn't take pictures, but i drew diagrams and labeled EVERYTHING!!!!! im gonna drop the new one in one day this week, and fire it prolly next weekend.
again, is there a way to prine the fuel system since the lines will be dry when i go to start it, or is that not a biggie. thanks!!!!

 

[K5dreamer]

any time you do an engine swap youre going to make a mess, simple fact of life. only thing i can say is to lay down some spare cardboard to catch it and keep a bucket of kitty litter handy

as for the torque converter, you can unbolt that from the flexplate without taking it off the tranny without loosing fluid. put a breaker bar on the crank bolt, and rotate the engine until the converter bolt comes around on the flex plate on the bottom near the back of the oil pan. take that bolt out, and rotate the engine untill the next one comes around. there are three. undo them all, and you can leave the converter in place as the engine comes off.

as far as reusing the flexplate, so long as youre going from a 283-350 style sbc to another, or a 400 to a 400, youre good. if youre going from one to another, they wont work. or if you see any cracks, or missing teeth, its probly time for a replacement.

for priming the fuel system, get a length of hose that will fit over the fuel line, a funnel, and a gas can. im not sure if you can fill the fuel pump itself, but if you get as much gas in the lines as possible, youll minimize the air in the system and how long it will take to get fuel flowing through the system.

as for the carb setup, id still say give the company a call about it, and tell them youre going with the goodwrench replacement engine. the cam specs will almost certainly be different, and they may be different enough to cause problems, either with vacuum operation, or rich vs. lean conditions and whanot. just one of those better safe than sorry moments.

 

[01maroonz71]

good point. thanks alot, yeah....no doubt about the mess, it's oil/powersteering/coolant, and dirt debris so far...and im sure more to come...haha. can i bolt the torque converter back up to the flexplate the same way??? that way i won't loose any fluid! thanks,
~dave

 

[K5dreamer]

yup, bolting the flex plate to the converter is the same as taking it off, just rotate the converter by hand and use the breaker bar to rotate the engine to line up the holes so you can put the bolts back in.

 

[4xcrazy]

I don't know what kind of hoist you are going to be using, but if you are using a "cherry picker" you may need to remove your front wheels to drop the nose down some...

I put mine on 15" steelies with no tires, but then it got too low for the hoist to roll under the axle, so i used some old weights to lift it back up just a hair....

this whole ordeal has been a nightmare for me lately, no motivation, no money for little things and only a single vehicle width carport to work on everything....

almost finished up though, just hooking up the odds and ends...

HAVE FUN

BTW, you don't HAVE to remove the torque convertor, just remove the bolts, and when you're ready, just pull the motor away from it. The torque convertor won't go anywhere so you won't lose any fluid from there.

 

[gmc4cw]

my tips were going to be to take pics and label everything but you asked the question after the tear down. now is a good time to get a different stall converter if you were ever thinking about it. Unless the radiator and water pump are brand new I would replace them also. nothing like an inferior cooling system cooking your brand new engine. at the very least do the water pump, they are $30.

go slow, if you get aggravated with something walk away and calm down. don't rush when it comes to torque values. a few minutes making everything right will save you headaches in the end.


Have fun.

 

[01maroonz71]

yeah, im going to get new mounts and a new water pump tomm. i cleaned and painted all the brackets, polished all the chrome, and wire brushed, cleaned EVERYTHING!!!!!!

as far as lifting it, im gong to be using a forklift. i drive a semi at work, and we have moffett forlifts on the back, my boss said i could just take my rig home and get er done one night. oh yeah!!!!! good thinkin with the stealies though man. thanks alot ya'll!!!!


what are the best attachment points for the chain on the motor?

should i get one of those plates that bolts to the manifold from summit???


oh yeah, im going to pick up the motor tomm so ill get some pics tomm night.