shandango, I was in the same situation a couple of years ago & decided to take the K-frame off with the drive train in the car...only 6-bolts away. Finding a way to support the engine is the only hurdle.. I was able to use a come-along from the ceiling since my hood was off, another way would be to support from underneath. Cleaning & painting would be a whooooole lot easier off the car...Just Sayin
Lets just say that your words here echo'd in my head all day....LOL
I decided that trying to support the engine from below would be tricky and the way the car is situated in the garage, I couldnt get a engine hoist in (if I even had one)...so I hitched up my big boy pants and went at it the hard way.
Used several applications of engine degreaser and elbow grease, and then followed with several applications of krud kutter. Then I followed wit ha razor blade and rags, followed by yet more krud kutter.
Geezuz. What a pain.
Made a bit of a mess on my garage floor but that cleaned up easily enough....lucky for me, the garage floor has some slant to it, and directed the crap to the sewer drain.
I found that a lot of the driver side of the top of the k member was going to need paint, as was the entire underneath....
After it dried I wiped it all down with a pre-paint wax/grease remover.
Masked off everything best I could and then sprayed some primer and then rustoleum semi-gloss black.
The masking was a PITA. LOL
I think my results will be good, assuming the paint stays stuck....some of the nooks and crannies were tough to get to and not sure I got 100% of the crud....
Oh well, my car isn't a concourse car...I think it will be ok...would have preferred to remove it and do it that way. But, I had to draw the line somewhere...My car is in a lot of pieces right now...LOL
If/when I ever pull the engine I will re-address the k-member....there are some hidden areas that I couldnt get to real good....but since they are hidden , I wasnt worried.
Sorry if this makes anyone cringe....I normally strive to do the best I can, but I just couldnt figure out a good safe way to support the engine without a lot of hassle...maybe this car will one day get a rotisserie job and then it can be perfect.
