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Newbie swapping 350s, need tips, advice, warnings!

bobby dee said:
Can this come off WITH the front clip? Like in 1 piece

I have a hoist, but this is likely to be a one man job for the most part, including the lifting of the front clip (hoist and straps)

Anybody got any resources on tearing off that front clip?
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Its doable with 1 person. Just a little awkward. I did have a neighbor come help for the hood reinstall, fairly sure I was able to remove by myself though.
I want to say that you remove the front bumper, and then its like 6 bolts to remove the core support/fender assembly as one unit. 2 body mounts under the radiator, 2 at the top corner of fender to cab, and 2 at the bottom corner of fender to cab. Also removal of things like battery, radiator, and unplug the light harness from the firewall connection.

2015-02-01 14.41.04.jpg
 
I just removed the hood and used an engine hoist. It was a larger one that could lift quite high. Since I was doing it myself, it would have been easier getting it out/back in if I had removed the core support.
 
I ain't never taken off no core support....taint neccessary.

Why are you changing distributors? Which brings up another point. Pull your dizzy before you pull the motor. AND, don't put it in until the motor is bolted in.

Where did you get your new dizzy? If it is not US made, then keep your old one...Do you know how good electronics are that come from HarberFreight?...Chinese dizzys are just as good.
 
So, I will be starting my swap on Monday and Tuesday (Nov 20 and 21) so I can work thru Thanksgiving if I need to.
Got lots of input, but would welcome any more.
At this point, I am leaving the front clip on, pulling only the engine.
My top concern at the moment is the lining up the splines with the tranny in the truck.
But I think I can do it... I have the liner up tool already (came with the new clutch)... I'm thinking about doing a live broadcast via youtube...
 
Stinky said:
I ain't never taken off no core support....taint neccessary.

Why are you changing distributors? Which brings up another point. Pull your dizzy before you pull the motor. AND, don't put it in until the motor is bolted in.

Where did you get your new dizzy? If it is not US made, then keep your old one...Do you know how good electronics are that come from HarberFreight?...Chinese dizzys are just as good.
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Why do you say to pull the dist before and install after?

Got the Distributor with the motor... it is new, so I am assuming it is [uhum] Chinese.

Now you do have a good point, but my current distributor is original... like almost as old as me!
It also is showing some wear (corrosion and such) in the electronics compartment.

I also cant help but wonder if the electronics on the US distributors are made in China too...
 
Also, since I am doing this at another shop, I will have to bring most of the tools myself, right now on my list I have...

Full set sockets deep and shallow
Full set wrenches
Screw drivers
Vice grips (just in case)
Adj wrench (just in case too)
PB Blast
Hammer or two
Spline alignment tool
Jacks and stands

Anything else I should pack!!??
 
torque wrench, and a good assortment of wood blocks, small chunks of plywood etc. Crowbar, prybar are handy too. 24 beer...
 
tRustyK5 said:
torque wrench, and a good assortment of wood blocks, small chunks of plywood etc. Crowbar, prybar are handy too. 24 beer...
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Torque wrenches... check
Crowbar / prybar... check
I will wait until AFTER for the beer !!
 
Nobody answered yet, but the reason you pull the dizzy, is because unlike an intelligently designed engine, such as a Ford, GM put the dizzy in the back.
Which means that it is the first thing to get crunched on the firewall as you are pulling the engine out, and the last thing to go bye bye when you are putting the engine in.

Of course, to avoid unpleasant surprises, make sure to plug the hole well when you take it out. A good rag is fine, JB Weld is overkill and will get you talked about.
 
At least a Chevy will usually make it to the other side of a flooded road before the distributor gets wet enough to stall the engine..
Ford puts it right behind the fan,so water gets blown right on it instantly..:crazy:..not one of their "better ideas"..:D

When I did engine swaps I found the worst part of the job was trying to yank the engine crane backwards with the engine dangling up as high as it would go to clear the radiator support..an extra person is handy for that moment,and when rolling it back in with the "new" engine..

If your lucky your engine crane has a long enough boom to reach the center of the engine without the uprights and legs hitting the radiator support..mine does,but its very scary with the boom fully extended,especially if your installing a 454 & TH400 that are bolted together..:eek:..

One time I had to use my garden tractor to pull the crane into my garage with the engine dangling,I lowered it as soon as it cleared the radiator support--the the iron casters wouldn't let it roll into my garage thanks to pebbles and a 1" step up to the slab in the garage,I didn't have enough strength to get it in by pushing it alone..its a good idea to sweep the floor perfectly clean before you try rolling the crane around..

Having someone nearby to dial 9-1-1 if something goes very wrong isn't a bad idea either..
 
If you pull the motor mounts as suggested, so the engine can go straight back instead of angling down, the distributor clearance won't be a problem. But if you start rocking the motor, it might. I pulled the distributor cap to buy me a bit more clearance.
 
If you aren't going to pull the front clip, know that the engine has to move forward at least 6 inches to clear the transmission splines before you can lift it up. Make sure you got about 12 inches of clearance in front of the engine. I pulled the radiator along with the front core support. Don't underestimate how difficult it is to line up the engine with the transmissions splines. I spent several days doing so by myself.
 
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Exactly what Forum said....one little bobble, and if the motor starts swinging, and if it bumps the firewall, you now have a bent dizzy.

What sort of dizzy did you get?

They make US parts, but not sure which ones are. You can get all the parts for a dizzy @ the chevy dealer.
 
bp71k5 said:
Don't underestimate how difficult it is to line up the engine with the transmissions splines. I spent several days doing so by myself.
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This is indeed what makes me the nervous-est about this job... should I pull the tranny? opinions? thoughts? wellwishers?
 
What sort of dizzy did you get?

They make US parts, but not sure which ones are. You can get all the parts for a dizzy @ the chevy dealer.[/QUOTE]

dont know... didnt see a brand... I'm sure it is chinese... except the OLD OLD OLD one in the old 350... which i admit I could freshen up with cap and rotor...
 
For as little extra work as it is I pull the trans and T-case with a manual trans. So much easier to finesse the trans into the clutch splines then the other way.
 
1) You don't have to remove the hood----just unbolt the hinges where they bolt to the fenders and then prop the hood up SAFELY as far back as you need it. i've tied mine back to something inmovable in the garage, propping works just fine---as long as it's sturdy and safe. A broomhandle could work fine.

2) Well, buick DID put their's upfront, so it's not all gm's. At first this distributor location thing did piss me off, but then i realized----how many times do you need to adjust timing?
 
Cadilliac had front mounted distributors too,so not all GM's were immune to water getting on the cap & wires...
Maybe the "engineers" thought the fan would blow off the water and dry it off faster ?..:thinking:...but that hasn't been my experience..

I left the distributor out when I did an engine swap,after having one get ruined when it smacked the firewall when I was trying to shove the engine back against the bell housing...then I found out an HEI is a VERY tight squeeze to install or extract on a '72 K5..I think I had to customize the firewall with a few sledge hammer whacks to get enough clearance to get the distributor installed..
 
The distributor is indeed no fun to install or adjust, especially with a tall truck like this...

Much much much easier on my Galaxie 500.

but I guess it would be easier messing with this distributor than doing a swap and putting in a 351 Windsor... HA!
 
So, what about a pilot bearing? If there is one already there, should I trust it? How will I know if it is going to fit? I dont want to make any parts runs if I can in any way help it.
 
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