I've got all the parts in for the front. Fenders, inner fenders, bumpers, entire front part except the grill. I'm wanting to take out my straight 6 engine out of my 68 and leave the tranny in so I can replace all the inner fenders, weld and paint without the engine in the way. Is this advisable? I just think it would be easier and safer with stuff out of the way. I plan on washing down and repainting the engine as well and figure that would definitely be easier out of the car. But don't plan on messing with the tranny at all. I've tried to look thru alot of posts and don't see anything about this

 

A lot of people will advise you to remove the engine and tranny at once. I prefer to do them separately though. I put the engine/trans in my '66 together, but I had to jack up the back end a lot to get it in.

With a 6 cyl., you can cover the engine and probably have enough room to clean/paint everything you want to ....

 

Just make sure you brace the front of the transmission so it doesn't droop and bent the crossmember.

 

You can use a broom handle (or pipe/solid bar stock) across the "frame rails"
with bolts sticking out of the lowest bell housing bolts to hold the trans in place.
As long as you don't move the car violently the trans will not move at all.
Putting nuts with fender washers on the front side of the broom will stop it from rolling out from under the bolts through the bell housing too.

 

Thanks. I don't plan on moving the car while i"m working in the engine compartment but feel with the welding and trying to clean and paint the engine as well as the inner fender walls, it would be best to just move it out into the open. I have never worked on removing an engine but the shop manual makes it sound pretty simple on a straight 6. Guess I'll find out.

 

Has anybody tried installing fenders and inner fenders from Mustangs Unlimited? I heard someone mention that a lot of these parts don't fit well. And if so, what has to be done to make them fit and is there an order you should be trying to do it in? I'm starting at the front, and leaving doors on before I move back. Then plan on trying to align everything with the doors. Any ideas?