Pull engine w/tranny or without

except on one thing - the hood must always come off. There's simply no way around it, nor would you want to try leaving it on! You'll start and within 30 minutes see why it needs to come off - it will then be obvious.

If it was a stick, I'd leave the transmission either in the car, or pull it with the engine.

Of all the engines I've pulled, I've never pulled the transmission first from below, then the engine.

(and I used to do it for a living, removing and rebuilding many many dozens if not hundreds of engines and/or transmissions.)

 I either pull it with the engine, or leave the transmission under the car with the bell housing.

If pulling only the engine, I always remove the bell housing bolts and leave the bell with the transmission, be it stick or automatic with divorced bell housing.

If pulling both, you need some radical tip to the engine and I STRONGLY suggest one of those engine levelers!! I'd not pull the engine and transmission together without a leveler. You'll see why on that, too.

The other option - drop it all out the bottom!

Support the upper control arms with blocks of wood, raise the car, remove the inner lower control arms, wire the steering arms/spindles up out of the way, remove the draglink and tie rods. Remove the 4 crossmember bolts and studs, remove the rear crossmember nuts, lower engine and transmission down onto dollies, lift the car up, and slide the powerplant out.

However, my bet is you arne't equipped with that much stuff - takes some jacks, a transmission jack, dollies and a way to lift the car pretty high.

Much easier as a unit with a leveler. They are worth their weight in gold, IMO.

The idea of a cradle to hold the engine while putting the other pieces on the back is a great idea - I used dollys and the transmission jack (if interested in the "up from the bottom" method, see my post on the Eagle heart transplant where I put the engine, transmission and transfer case all in from the bottom by myself - it's up and in, and 8 bolts, and she's in, except for putting the front suspension back in place. However, you do NOT need to go as far as I did - I was replacing springs and bushings, too, at the same time, so removed the entire front suspenstion.

 

In your case, first timeer and all - I'd do as stonedblue did - go get a leveler, and do the whole unit out the top, transmission and engine together, and not fight the input shaft into clutch issues while under the car. It's a breeze to do it that way.

 

Either way, you are much better off it you have a spare drive shaft yoke whehter you you leave the tranny attached or not.  When you tilt the engine and tranny or just when you pull the tranny it will pour tranny fluid, standard or auto, all over the floor. 

 

And you MUST take the hood off as there is no way to get even the engine high enough on the hoist to clear the radiator support with the hood on.

 

Putting either tranny in from underneath is a pain but not that big of a deal if you have a motorcycle jack or something similar to can rest it on but it will go in much easier with two people. The clutch issue is also a non issue with either a pilot tool or if you simply use the tips of your fingers to to align the clutch disc evenly all the way around the edge of the pressure plate.  I have done it well over a dozen times and it works every time perfectly so that all you need to do is put the tranny in gear and rotate the yoke a little to align the input shaft ridges with the detents in the clutch disk. 

 

If you want to put them together to and install as a single unit, make sure you have plenty of ceiling clearance and a big hoist fully extended.  You will need to lift it really high to get it in so that the tranny tail shaft fully clears the upper radiator support plus you need to angle the heck out of it when pushing the hoist backto get the engine in the engine bay in order for the same tail shaft to clean the firewall and also have the oil pan on the engine clear the same upper raditor support.  I have done it both ways multiple times and actually prefer to do the tranny from underneath if I have a lift and as a single unit on the way in if I only have a hoist and jack stands.  Regardless, I always pull the tranny before removing the engine.  If you do the same, just be sure you don't hang the tranny on the input shaft through the clutch disc in order to not bow the input shaft or warp the clutch disk. 

 

Ask me how I know?

 Start with the front tires on ramps anf stands under rear. Remove the radiator and hood, get a hoist fron Harbour Freight and recruite a friend. I have a speedo cable cut at the flange that goes into the tranny and fit double latex glooves over the tailshaft with the fingers inside out. Wrap a heavy towell or two around the tranny to avoid scuffing the firewall and remove and install as a unit. The engine lift plates that bolt to the intake manifold should be suspended from the front hole, and will require some mussling by the second person.

 

 Once the engine is back in sitting on the mounts, jack up the tranny, install the crossmember, hood and radiator. At that point you can finish up alone.

 

 SKeown