Hey @Jeff G 78. I don't understand cheat to the front? Do mean run it all the way to front then level it to the motor with the front and rear chains? I've got it in the front most hole.

Here's some pics so far. I'm gonna wait until I know for sure I'm about to do it before pulling the tires and sitting the rears on ramps. I might move over a foot so the hoist's arm will go in between the ceiling joist.

Thanks for everyone's help. It builds up my confidence. 8^)

 

 

I had to drop my motor in with the hoist on the right side of the car.  Tried to go at it from the front, but the two legs of the hoist hit the lower control arms of the front suspension.

I like picture #2 .... looks like it's being prepped for major surgery. 

Looks like those magnetic parts dishes have come in handy.

Good luck Cliff, we are all pulling for you.

Hey Cliff.  Yes, run the crank most of the way one way and then level it with the chains.  That will allow it to get more angle before running out of travel.  The engine needs to be very steep to clear the tunnel. 

 

  On 4/15/2016 at 9:56 PM, motorman7 said:

I had to drop my motor in with the hoist on the right side of the car.  Tried to go at it from the front, but the two legs of the hoist hit the lower control arms of the front suspension.

Tires off or on?  My hoist works with the tires on but the legs have to be to one side or the other, not centered from what I remember. I've only put one in before. My 280. 

Thanks for the input. 

  On 4/15/2016 at 10:37 PM, Jeff G 78 said:

Hey Cliff.  Yes, run the crank most of the way one way and then level it with the chains.  That will allow it to get more angle before running out of travel.  The engine needs to be very steep to clear the tunnel. 

 

Holy guacamole! That's vertical almost. My hoist must be different. I don't remember it being that steep. 

 

That was a few years ago before I got the leveler but the angle is usually similar to clear the tunnel. 

  On 4/15/2016 at 10:50 PM, siteunseen said:

Tires off or on?  My hoist works with the tires on but the legs have to be to one side or the other, not centered from what I remember. I've only put one in before. My 280. 

 

 

Tires on.....the hoist legs are pretty long and wide, almost hitting the inside of both tires.  If I raised the tires about 3 inches, the hoist would pass under them

 

 

  On 4/15/2016 at 11:19 PM, Jeff G 78 said:

That was a few years ago before I got the leveler but the angle is usually similar to clear the tunnel. 

I didn't even notice there wasn't a leveler.

  On 4/15/2016 at 11:21 PM, motorman7 said:

 

Tires on.....the hoist legs are pretty long and wide, almost hitting the inside of both tires.  If I raised the tires about 3 inches, the hoist would pass under them

 

 

Okay, I gotcha. Mine are wide too but it'll come in from the front. Thanks for this, I've never tried without the tires like Mark suggested,  but am doing that this time so am going on blind faith. 

 The first time I tried it, I couldn't get the engine over the rad. support. No choice but to pull the wheels and put it on a jack.

 Next time was the most primitive. Hung the engine from the garage rafters with a 1 ton cable jack and rolled the car forward as I dropped the engine into the bay and forward a little bit more as it aligned with the trans. input shaft. Put a few bolts in the bellhousing, Then it went up on four jackstands to finish the job.

 My point is there is no wrong way to do it. Even if you run into problems there are many options available. When you boil it down either the engine has to go down and back or the car has to come up and forward.

 I like the sling for the trans rear. I've used a small floor jack on a creeper to support the rear when dropping and sliding the engine and trans. into position. Makes it easy to lift it into place and hold it.

  On 4/15/2016 at 8:10 PM, siteunseen said:

Happy happy, joy joy.

when you "cheat" the load leveler to the front w/the chains, make sure you can still get the engine fairly level to start with - if the tranny is hanging down too low you have to lift it way high to get it over the front rad support and into the bay. i had to "cheat" my hoist and drill some extra holes to get more stick out of it - not exactly kosher for full load from a structural standpoint, but my math confirmed the engine wasn't anywhere near the limits of my hoist and it worked out just fine.

be sure to sweep the floor well around where you'll be moving the hoist around - any debris caught in the casters can cause sudden stops or bumps that set the engine swinging. not a huge deal if you have a helper to hold the tranny tail while your moving, but makes for unnecessary excitement when you're alone. also have some wood wedges handy (as in, right next to the front wheels of the car so you can reach w/your foot when you need 'em) to chock the hoist casters so it doesn't walk on you while you walk around to adjust the load leveler and guide it into the hole, or when you go round to pull your rope sling up through the tranny tunnel. you may want to make an extension out of some pipe to operate the hydraulic release valve on your hoist so you can have one hand on the motor and be on the side of the bay looking/watching as you lower it down. kinda hard to see what's going on from behind the motor.

 the 3 "danger points" i found were

1. top of rad support - impact w/tranny tail
2. front bumper - impact w/hydraulic piston on hoist
3. firewall - impact w/tranny tail

once you get past those points it's pretty easy if you just take your time.