restomod87

Hey guys,
I've just gotten home from the cruise and am planning on starting this afternoon on reinstalling my recently rebuilt 289. 2 weeks off the road, 1 sleeve, 3 rods, $1100.00 and a crankshaft later, I've got a like-new engine in plastic sitting in the gerage ... In pulling the engine a few weeks ago, we did so without removing the transmission in hopes that it would not be hard getting it back in the same way. Anyone have some pointers in putting an engine back? I don't have much experience in the matter, I have been told however to put the car into gear while trying to line up the tranny and engine so that you can rock the car a little in need be, to get the splines to line up. Please post any important "issue" or factor to look for to ensure this being a smooth process. I'm out of college till Tuesday morning so this has got to be finished then! thanks

~Patrick

jlg2002

Hold the front of the trans up with a floor jack so it can be wiggled when the engine in place. From my personal experiences, its easier to drop the tranny and then put it back behind the engine once the engine is bolted in place. (saves on pinched fingers)

JMD

Make sure you use a pilot tool on the clutch to line everything up just righ.... I prefer to leave the car in a low gear as stated, but with the driveshaft removed so I can turn the trans output shaft to allow for lining up the input shaft splines with the clutch disk... It is not absolutely necessary to do so, but it can make life easier...

It is a good idea to make a "dry run" with the clutch disk and throwout bearing on the tranny to make sure there are not any "fit issues" that are best addressed prior to (attempted) installation. Make sure you get the clutch disk installed correctly,,, "flywheel side" is very important. I have seen more than one trany removedin order to flip the disk....

restomod87

Thanks for the quick respince guys. I didn't think about mounting the engine into place and replacing tranny back in behind it, I was referring to pulling them both, attaching them correctly outside of engine bay and then lowering them in together.

JMD: Thanks, We made sure to get an allignment tool, and we'll def. make a "dry run" just as a fitment check. The clutch looked in very good condition, so we didn't replace, however we did replace the throwout bearing and had the flywheel faced as well...Any other tips welcome! thanks