Engine in plan?

[andrewh]

Working without a 2 poster ramp I am planning the process for replacing the engine and box into my series 1 . Latest plan is to place the rear of the car on axle stands or blocks and then lift the front of the car high enough to allow me to roll the engine and box underneath on a purpose built platform. I have had six small castors sitting in my workshop for years looking for a suitable application!

So do you guys think this will work ok . The front end will have to be slung pretty high to clear the engine . I am paranoid about hitting any paint on the frames or bulkhead but would imagine I can achieve this ok. Also if I am to lift the front of the car where would you sling the front end from for maximum safety and least risk of damage? Front hubs?

[Mark Gordon]

That will work just fine, Andrew. Get the rear as high as you can and remove the bonnet. Once the engine and gearbox are free and lowered onto your dolly, you can raise the front end by attaching your crane or hoist to the picture frame and then roll the engine/gearbox out the front. Definitely the way to go.

[Cgarside]

I've had the engine in and out of S1 E Types on a number of occasions and always lifted the body off the engine. This approach does mean you have to remove carbs, exhaust manifolds, oil filter housing and damper (in othe words, minimising the planporm of the engine) beforehand but but in my opinion allows a much more controlled approach to installation or removal of the engine/gearbox and minimises the risk of damaging the frames
With a two post lift, this should be straight forward.
(Note, I have managed without a lift and solely by using a trolley jack to lift under the gearbox cross member and allowing the body to 'hinge' upward about the back axle)
Chris

[andrewh]

Thanks Mark and Chris. I thought it should work. Chris, did you lift the rear of the car up before lifting the front as I reckon without doing this the rear of the cylinder head would come mighty close to the bulkhead? What do you mean by damper?

[Cgarside]

Method of engine removal was as follows
1. Strip all ancillaries ( ie starter, inlet manifold/carbs, oil filter housing, exhaust manifolds, exhaust system and front pulley (damper) from the engine. Aim here is to minimise the engine / gearbox bulk to allow it to drop down through the frames - or alternatively to allow the body to be lifted over the engine / gearbox.
2. Remove suspension reaction plate from under the engine.
3. Remove gearbox mounting plate and engine mounts from engine block ( at this stage either the engine has to be sported from below via wooden blocks or suspended from above to allow removal of mountings.
4. Lower engine onto the floor
5. Lift body - without the benefit of a two post lift, I lift the front end by jacking just behind the the gearbox crossmember and, with the rear end on the wheels, the front rises in an arc over the engine. Judicious use of plywood guide strips helps protect the frames and engine from damage. A two post lift would make the process more controllable by lifting the body straight up over the engine/ gearbox.
Hope this helps.
Chris

[Mark Gordon]

The process is as Chris describes. If you can get your hands on a Haynes workshop manual, Chapter 13 gives a step-by-step description in minute detail.

[andrewh]

Thanks again. Actually I already took the engine out this is putting it back in to a fully painted car hence the interest in not damaging anything. Sounds like it will go ok . Cheers.

[Moeregaard]

You can also raise the car so that it's sitting level with roughly 20" of clearance underneath. Support it well, because you will be spending some time under there. Slide the gearbox under on a piece of thin plywood, lower the engine from above with an engine hoist, and join the two while they're sitting under the car on the ground. Then, just raise the entire assembly into position with a trolley jack to support the gearbox. Take this for what it's worth, but I've found that it works well when installing the entire power unit and none of my friends can be found.

[christopher storey]

There is a good pictorial guide to this on the JDC Queensland website. You don't need to raise the rear ( and indeed my experience suggests it hinders rather than helps )

http://www.jagqld.org.au/index.php/kune ... ne-removal

[andrewh]

Ok chaps. I got it now. Seems straight forward enough to be honest. Just got to work out the best ( least damaging) place to swing from. Also since I do not have a sky hook I will use the engine change which of course I will have to remove to allow the engine and box in from the front. I dont think its rocket science though!