so im gunna do a major component on my car this winter, i.e. engine, paint and body etc., but i cant decide what to do. My engine leaks oil and has a tick, the body isnt bad, but the paint job isnt great at all. i was leanin toward an engine transplant and maybe a AOD tranny. Any one know how hard it is to swap one in? i know they are close to a C4 but i dont know in the way of tranny mounts and driveshaft fitment. I did the interior last winter but i never got the headliner in yet. Should i do the headliner and then do the engine? Just cause the windsheild has to be pulled so i didnt have the cash to get it pulled, pay for someone to put in a head liner and then have them come out and do the wind shield again. Or should i get the drivetrain in place so its one less thing to strand me on the side of the road, and then do the cosmetics and stuff? here are some pics.... let me know what you think.
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/hockey6457/Picture066.jpg
ttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/hockey6457/Picture070.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture069.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...7/IMG_0193.jpg

 

god ?s, here is what I'm doing:

I am doing body/paint, then interior, then engine

My car was stripped, then sandblasted. Next the holes were patched. Now I'm repainting the engine bay then the interior, then the underside. Then a nice paintjob. I think i'll do the engine last but i keep flip flopping them in my mind. When I say engine, i mean the entire drive-train

 

The way I would rationalize it is that I would want to get the engine/drive-train done first because then you will have a reliable car that you know is going to get you from point A to point B (and maybe have some fun on the way) and with all the work that will be done to the engine you wont have to worry about dropping a tool on the fender, that's the order I plan on going.

Oh yeah, the exterior doesn't look that bad on your car anyway.
Also if you do the vinyl on the roof you should try and find something to insulate it with.

 

I always do the drivetrain first. Sometimes you end up pulling things apart, and possibly scratching the car or having to pull a fender for whatever reason. Also once you have the drivetrain and suspension right, you can drive it. I have painted cars with $50 worth of rattle cans just to keep the rust down. Yours isnt that bad off, so I would say do the engine/trans and make sure everything works on it. Then do the body/interior later.

 

Yeah, i'd do the drivetrain first. Well, actually, in my case, Im upgrading the suspension first, then the engine. Since, my exterior is still alittle nice(even after my little accident) im putting that off. Whats the point of having all that HP and a car that cant handle it?

 

i started with the engine comp, than the engine, leaving the tranny out for underside work later, than moved on to the paint because i had to pull the windows anyhow for headliner, than interior, than the trunk, than the underside. It worked to my advntage because the underside ended up getting overspray from it getting painted and me tearing into that made the end results cleaner and less of a hassel

 

i would say do the engine. leaking oil is no good. if you dont need the car for an everyday driver i would take the engine out and do both at the same time. that way its easyer to paint the engine bay and al that good stuff. anyway the paint doesnt look to bad in the picture. anyway nice car.
-malcon

 

i was gonna say the same thing, your saying the paint is not so great, but judging from the picture it looks like it has a pretty decent looking paint job

 

it looks better that what it is in the picture, there is some paint peeling, but i gues thats nothin to get too werked up about, i drive the car everyday so i guess it is expected to have some battle scars

 

Engine adn tranny is what I did first. For the same reasons that were listed above. I have had some say when you do the engine first and then the body work you get the engine area dusty, but I feel that is a minimal sacrafice the get her running and learn the ins and out of the car.

Good luck and keep us posted