Need some guidance on my first engine pull

[dave73chally]

Next weekend I am planning to my pull my 318 and trans. From reading on here I'm planning to drop it out the bottom. I am going to completely rebuild the front suspension so I'll do that once it's outside the car. That being said, this is my first engine pull. I have 2 buddies helping that have pulled motors but always out the top.

I'm going to build a rolling cart for the k member and I have an engine hoist to lift the front of the car. What is the best way to support to the k member when undoing the bolts? My original thought was to remove the front wheels and lower the k member onto the cart then unbolt, but if my cart is too low I might not be able to get to the bolts? Do I make any sense?

[jhaag]

you won't have trouble doing it this way. look at the carts used by others here. (Alan) Easy enough. I made 1 out of 2x4 wood on casters. not ideal but it worked.

[dave73chally]

you won't have trouble doing it this way. look at the carts used by others here. (Alan) Easy enough. I made 1 out of 2x4 wood on casters. not ideal but it worked.

So am I right in thinking that I lower the kframe onto the cart, remove bolts, raise car and slide out kframe? So that would mean the cart should be low but still allow me to access the bolts?

[jimynick]

Just to be the contrarian, in an unrestored, out-she-goes engine pull; I'd yank it from the top. Otherwise, you're faced with supporting/balancing the engine/K frame and suspension and God help you or your buds if they should slip. If you're bound and bent to come from below, I'd leave the wheels on it, for safety's sake. I've pulled a few out the top and it's only a concern when you've got a pristine engine bay that you don't want to mark up- or have someone leaning on your nice, freshly painted fenders. Having said all that, I'd put it back in- from the bottom. Have fun and don't forget to drain as much fluid out of the engine and trans as you can. Go to a trans shop and get a plug for the tailshaft opening and have 2.5 times as many rags on hand, as you think you'd normally need. Bag and tag all the pieces- you'll thank me later. 

[dave73chally]

Just to be the contrarian, in an unrestored, out-she-goes engine pull; I'd yank it from the top. Otherwise, you're faced with supporting/balancing the engine/K frame and suspension and God help you or your buds if they should slip. If you're bound and bent to come from below, I'd leave the wheels on it, for safety's sake. I've pulled a few out the top and it's only a concern when you've got a pristine engine bay that you don't want to mark up- or have someone leaning on your nice, freshly painted fenders. Having said all that, I'd put it back in- from the bottom. Have fun and don't forget to drain as much fluid out of the engine and trans as you can. Go to a trans shop and get a plug for the tailshaft opening and have 2.5 times as many rags on hand, as you think you'd normally need. Bag and tag all the pieces- you'll thank me later. 

Thanks for the input. I just figured dropping out the bottom was easier based on what I read and I also need to rebuild the front suspension so it helps there also.  If I left the front wheels on, my cart would then have to be ride height I'm guessing? Is that what others have done?

[rUNCHARGER]

You pull the front wheels and knock out the upper control arms is a popular way to do it. You drop the K-frame onto the cart, then undo the 4 bolts. I've done both and I don't think the k-frame drop is the godsend it's cracked up to be.

Sheldon

[7212Mopar]

I am also in the process of removing my engine and trans (first time  as well) and plan to go with the bottom route. Based on my readings of other threads here, I plan to put car on jack stands. Using the engine hoist to support the engine then unbolt the k frame. Use the hoist to lower the whole assembly onto the cart. Then use the hoist to lift the front of the car high enough to remove the cart. Let me know if I miss anything and look forward to hear your result. Likely you will be done way before me.

[Topcat]

Next weekend I am planning to my pull my 318 and trans. From reading on here I'm planning to drop it out the bottom. I am going to completely rebuild the front suspension so I'll do that once it's outside the car. That being said, this is my first engine pull. I have 2 buddies helping that have pulled motors but always out the top.

I'm going to build a rolling cart for the k member and I have an engine hoist to lift the front of the car. What is the best way to support to the k member when undoing the bolts? My original thought was to remove the front wheels and lower the k member onto the cart then unbolt, but if my cart is too low I might not be able to get to the bolts? Do I make any sense?

Letting air out of the rear tires would lower the car further so it'll have the K member contact with your cart.

I didn't have to resort to that.
My cart was about 4-5" high

Use boards for extra height if necessary.

[73_Cuda_4_Me]

I just pulled my 340 with tranny (again) out the top... no problem with adjustable lift bracket and pulling pulleys/dampener and radiator.

Have you had any of the K-member bolts out yet??? You would be well-advised to try pulling one at a time before you commit to this... Mine WOULD NOT COME OUT.

I'll have to torch them off, then figure how to replace... or maybe just leave them alone and work from top so I don't break any off and have to replace frame rail to fix it.

 

[soundcontrol]

I just did all this, built a K-frame stand, took all out from the bottom etc. Check my threads. I really liked doing it this way instead of from the top (I lifted many engines from the top before, this was my first from the bottom). But I would only do it if I was gonna take the whole suspension apart, just an engine fix, I would still do it from the top. Mine went OK, my 2 problems were to get the T-bars out (passenger side was stuck) and then the K-frame bolts was really hard. I though I was gonna bend the frame at one point... so a day before, start preparing the bolts, use some rust spray on them, good if you can spray inside the frame on the threads so it can work itself in there over night. And possible use a torch.
I took mine out with no wheels on, just lowered the front of the car on the cart, then took the bolts out, hooked the engine hoist up to the car and lifted it up.

[Mpdlawdog]

I have a tendency to be a hillbilly sometimes...I used a tractor and pulled it out the top...yea that really happened....Like most people have said..I have a cart made that my engine and kframe is sitting on to lower the body down over it...looks much easier!  Since its out.. time for an upgrade Dave???

[dakota]

I took mine out through the bottom.  i didn't leave myself much of a choice given that I had already pulled all of the suspension and the car was positioned such that there was no room for an engine lift between the front end and my garage wall.  I was working by myself which limited my options. The tranny was already out, so I had a tranny jack on the back of the engine.   I raised the car up on jack stands as high as I could, then set up some wood cribbing on a heavy moving blanket under the wings of the k member.  Put a floor jack on the k member and removed the bolts.  After lowering everything onto the cribbing, it was a matter of propping up alternate edges of the k member with the floor jack, removing a layer of the cribbing and the lowering things a little more. Once everything was on the floor, I dragged it out through the wheel well using the blanket.  It wasn't pretty, but it worked. 

I'll be using a wooden cart with the k member, engine, tranny and rebuilt front suspension to go back in from underneath.   I'm planning to have the rear axle back in beforehand to more easily roll the car back from the garage wall so I can use the engine lift to pick up the front end.

I agree with the previous comments about removing fluids.  During a past engine pull, I ended up with tranny fluid and radiator fluid everywhere. 

Good luck! 

[dave73chally]

Since its out.. time for an upgrade Dave???

Yepp, cleaning up the engine bay and repainting. Then the 512 is going in once it's done.

... the car was positioned such that there was no room for an engine lift between the front end and my garage wall. 

This is interesting, how much room do you think I need between the front of the car and the garage wall to fit in the hoist to lift the front of the car. I have a workbench that may or may not be in the way...

[dakota]

This is interesting, how much room do you think I need between the front of the car and the garage wall to fit in the hoist to lift the front of the car. I have a workbench that may or may not be in the way...

I'll offer my opinion, but I would certainly defer to different guidance from someone who has more experience on this approach.  There have been a number of posts about lifting the front of the car where some people have done their best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression and muscled it without an engine lift, so if you're picking the front end up using a lift without the weight of the motor you won't need the legs of the lift extended very much if at all.  I think the main issue would be having room to maneuver the cart/K member around the lift.   If I were doing it today, I'd look for about 8 feet between the front of the car and the nearest solid obstacle.  In my case, I have to balance creating space in the garage and not getting the car too far down the incline of my driveway.   I plan to put the rear end back in so I can roll on the tires while the front is on jack stands (lowest position) that are sitting on wheel dollies, then block the rear wheels to keep the car from moving further.  Once the tires are blocked, I can raise the front end with the jack stands and then the engine lift.

If had thought all this through ahead of time, I would've put the car into the garage back end first so I had all of the driveway to work with.   But that was back when all I was going to do was change out the dash pad.  Yep, things have changed a bit.   

[1 Wild R/T]

If you come out the bottom you'll need to deal with the exhaust, if it's being replaced no biggie cut it, but if you plan to reuse it the exhaust can be a challenge... If it goes over the axle it's in the way, it can't be dropped without dropping the axle...  I like dropping the engine out & in from the bottom but thats more for full resto rather than just motor work...