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idiot's guide to pulling the front clip?

metalneverdies

metalneverdies

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I tried searching ck5 and google. Didnt find any guides, how to's or pictures on the best way to remove the front clip for motor replacement. Any one know of any?

I am half tempted to set the front end on 2x4s and only remove the hood. I still dont think that would give me enough clearance to pull the motor over the core support though.
 
you'd be surprised how high cherry pickers go.. especially fully extended... just keep a short chain...

just set it on blocks so the rotors are an inch off the ground and you should be fine with just the hood off..


pulling the clip... disco rad hoses and trans lines, pull battery, disco wiring harness at block, 2 mount bolts in core support and 3 bolts iirc at the back of each fender for pre 80.. post 80, ya pull the hood first due to the hinges..
 
ryoken said:
you'd be surprised how high cherry pickers go.. especially fully extended... just keep a short chain...

just set it on blocks so the rotors are an inch off the ground and you should be fine with just the hood off..


pulling the clip... disco rad hoses and trans lines, pull battery, disco wiring harness at block, 2 mount bolts in core support and 3 bolts iirc at the back of each fender for pre 80.. post 80, ya pull the hood first due to the hinges..
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Cool thats kinda what I was thinking but was unsure of any unseen difficulties.

I was just nervous about the cherry picker not clearing because of some difficulties I had between bumper height / garage roof height when I was swapping the engine on my sisters kia.
 
yeah, i can't vouche for headroom... that's pretty easy to rough mesh prior tho... .. open hood mesh support to ceiling/door, add however much it'll drop without the tires... than mesh the motor, short chain, yada...
 
You just want to pull the motor? Can do that easy enough without yanking the whole front end. Can yank radiator easy enough. U will have miles of room. Most pickers will reach higher than u think. And if u got lift and such yank the front wheels to get her down. U can even loosen the bolts of hood and remove the others to pivot the whole thing up and tie it to the rafters etc if u get creative so u don't need another pair of hands. Doing a motor by urself is possible. But help is much nicer
 
ratlover said:
You just want to pull the motor? Can do that easy enough without yanking the whole front end. Can yank radiator easy enough. U will have miles of room. Most pickers will reach higher than u think. And if u got lift and such yank the front wheels to get her down. U can even loosen the bolts of hood and remove the others to pivot the whole thing up and tie it to the rafters etc if u get creative so u don't need another pair of hands. Doing a motor by urself is possible. But help is much nicer
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I did mine by myself with the front clip off...and I still don't recommend it...took me waaaay longer than it should and could have injured myself and the firewall badly...don't install it without help if you can get it...now mine had the transmission attached also...that complicated things
 
Chief Brody said:
I did mine by myself with the front clip off...and I still don't recommend it...took me waaaay longer than it should and could have injured myself and the firewall badly...don't install it without help if you can get it.
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Would you suggest just pulling the hood then? Not going to have any one to really help me.
 
metalneverdies said:
Would you suggest just pulling the hood then? Not going to have any one to really help me.
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YES...pull the hood...but you don't need to remove the hinges...and don't forget to mark the hood bolts if it is aligned properly right now...you can even drill tiny holes if need be into the hinges and use roll pins to realign
 
I'm pretty sure you have read the warnings these other guys have given about the distributor as well...if you don't remove it at least remove the cap or you will snap it off when the engine settles back at the firewall...you won't be able to stop that momentum if you are doing it by yourself.
 
oh...and you are gonna need one of these...I could not have done it by myself without it...without help you will not get it in without a load leveler

image_8058.jpg
 
Just tilt the hood all the way up. Use the rear bolt that attaches hinge to the fender as a a new hinge point and remove the other bolts.
 
83ChevyK5Blazer said:
I pulled the core support and just used a short chain and had enough room to pull the engine/tranny/t case as a whole by myself.
View attachment 141157
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I would do this....


Or if you wanna pull the whole clip... It really is not that hard and can be done in an hour or so by yourself. Its pretty self explanatory once you start finding all the bolts that need to come out. Couple by the A pillar, couple by the core support, Core support is held on by the front body mounts...


Pretty easy.
 
If its not to lifted to much, just pull the hood. Stick the picker arm all the way out, and pull it. But beware, the farther out the picker arm is, the less weight it can hold before it tips. (Ask how I know). So, if you can get a buddy to stand on the back of it and pull away.

I wish I had one of them adjustable weight bars, so nice. I use a carb plate. And I am shocked one will hold a 454 up, in an aluminum intake, all weekend without creating a drainage hole in my concrete.

I personally drop the t-case first, as that thing pisses me off because it just weighs so much extra. But between my 454, 400 and 205, thats quite a bit of iron and aluminum hanging over the core support.

And whatever happens, a picker toppling over is in no way shape or form good for any part. Unless its not yours and you see it on youtube.
 
On a stock suspension 2WD, I R&R'd the 454/TH400 combo as a unit, only removing the hood.

going-in-1.jpg


going-in-3.jpg


I may have slightly overloaded the cherry picker :whistle: which also has modified, longer-than-stock "legs". (The bolt IS in the "1-ton" hole, not the "1/2 ton", but still, it was a bit scary.)

Anyway, angle-wise, it's doable.

-- A
 
Take off hood springs leave hinges, unbolt tranny, take engine out with tires deflated

I've done it a few times
 
Chief Brody said:
I'm pretty sure you have read the warnings these other guys have given about the distributor as well...if you don't remove it at least remove the cap or you will snap it off when the engine settles back at the firewall...you won't be able to stop that momentum if you are doing it by yourself.
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Not true. They will rest against the distributor just fine.

Chief Brody said:
oh...and you are gonna need one of these...I could not have done it by myself without it...without help you will not get it in without a load leveler.
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Also not true.

They can make it easier sometimes, but just as many times they are more of a nuisance than anything.

I have done it every way. Take it out with just the hood removed. Take it out with the hood and radiator support removed. Take it out with the entire front clip removed, and even one time with the hood, radiator support, and right fender removed (had to remove the heater core and reseal the AC box...).

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The best advice I can give you is to remove the engine separate from the transmission. Buy a 3 or 4 foot 3/8" extension and a 9/16" wobble socket. Life will be much better than.

Martin
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I am really liking the taking off the core support and leaving the rest there. I was un aware I could do that.

I can swap the motor and take care of some minor surface rust that has started under the battery tray and near the front fender.
 
I pulled my motor out with a 4 in lift and 35s barely cleared core support but it worked it would have been nicer to have it lower just for climbing in and out to grab tools but it worked dont pull the clip just the hood youll be fine.
 
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