install engine with trans or without

[jeepcj7304 10]

The new engine should be ready tommorow. My question is the FMX trans is still installed. Should I remove it and bolt it to the engine and install them both together or just install the motor. My concern is that I have never worked on a trans that had studs on the converter mine have all had bolts that go in. Is it hard to line up the studs on the converter while installing the engine or is there still space so that this can be done after the engine is bolted to the trans? It will be alot easier to get the engine in with out the heavy FMX hanging off the back and will also save me the time of unhooking the trans from the car.

[Mike65 476]

If you want to put the engine in by itself & then the trans, look at the spacing of the converter studs & line them up with the flywheel the best you could then get the trans in line with the alignment pins on the back of the engine, get it as close as possible & put in a couple bolts by hand loosley. Then as you start to tighten the trans bolts up keep an eye on the converter studs moving the converter one way or the other to line them up with the holes in the flywheel & tighten down the trans bolts. Once you have the trans bolts all tightened down make sure you can still move the converter by hand, it will move a little as the holes in the flywheel are a little larger then the converter studs to make sure the converter is not bound up against then flywheel. That way always seems to work for me & that is how the trans guy at the Ford dealer I worked at back in the late 70's did it.

[RPM 1,190]

1 guy can install them when together, takes 2 when apart.

[GypsyR 32]

Strange. I always install them separately because I work by myself and find it too difficult to swing both in and out. Just the engine I can can swing and wiggle as needed and still have one hand on the cherry picker controls.

In a junkyard situation where I would be in a hurry and could care less about the car getting banged up and bashed into, for sure I'd yank both together. Especially if I had a forklift on hand to drag it all out of there.

[miketyler 15]

I would remove and install together. Seems easier than having to align things up from under the car after the engine install. An engine leveller helps as does another person working the hoist. If you have prepped your engine bay nice and pretty you may want to protect the center firewall and tunnel as it goes in.

 

With front of car raised up, the assembly is raised and carefully manipulated with trans down and slowly righted as is rolled back under the car. I wouldnt do it any other way.

Edited October 6, 2012 by miketyler

[jeepcj7304 10]

I ended up doing it seperate and it want too bad.

[Armond 10]

I just finished up a gt 350. The 351 and FMX I dropped into the car bolted together with no problems. I did have a couple of my sons helping me to guide it in. An FMX is very heavy and I would not want to put them together in the car. Good luck!

[etel64 10]

IMHO. just put the motor in by itself since the tranny is in. As far as making this a one man job. ALWAYS try and have help when moving several hundred pound assemblies. When I put my 351w and c4 in, I had help from 2 who never put an enigne in in their lives. Patience and taking your time is always a good way to prevent damaging stuff or hurting yourself.

[miketyler 15]

I totally missed that, man I am getting old. If engine was talken out already with trans left in I would be strongly compelled to put engine in alone and mate up to the trans from under the car.

 

Guess its a moot point now since you already put it in but I did want to share this different view point now that I know what you were dealing with.