Time to install the motor in my racecar.The car had a 455 installed previously,so frame pads are already in place.My question is should I install motor/trans together or install trans then motor?BTW,using a aftermarket crossmember & tubular A arms.Thanks.
I always install engines with the trans mounted, but that's because of the clearance needed to get the top trans bolts in. If you're working by yourself it may be easier to do them seperate since the tailshaft may drag on the ground while you're angling everything in. It's best to have a hleper guide the tailshaft while it gets lined up. If the car has no nose on it then just bolt em together and slide them in.
ive done it both ways in my regal and i found it easier with the trans in first. having to put the headers down there first is hard enough so dropping the motor down between them seems easier withouy the trans on it. even putting the motor in and then jacking the car up and raising the trans up in isnt that bad.
I hope this helps; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC_c2NFONY8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OohjOxbzAlc (In this video ... I BEGGED Giovanni to install/position HEADERS 1st, then ENGINE bolted to TH400 together ... that way has always worked out best for me). He caught HELL his way ... in the end (days later), it ALL went in the Regal the way I suggested before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUmWDFjVHQg This is the TH400 bolted to the stock TH200-R4 cross-member/DUAL exhaust; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN4O1IKia7Q :TU:
I always have to do mine with them off. I hang them with bungees and drop the motor between them. The ta headers with the 2 inch tubes are a tight fit.
Ok, Installed trans,then put headers in the engine comparment.Dropped motor & the motor mounts slipped in easily onto the frame pads.Even looked like the headers would clear everthing.Only problem is the motor is about 1.5- 2 inches to far from mating with the transmission.So out comes the motor & I try moving the motor mounts forward on the block.Attempt to drop the motor back in & now goes back too farou: . These are PAE frame pads that were previously installed when the car was built years ago by a former owner.I guess I will need to start from scratch with the frame pad mounting.
Get the TA Performance chassis/motor mount kit ... and bolt the engine to the tranny, lay the headers into place ... AND THEN SLIDE THE 455/TRANNY DOWN BETWEEN THE HEADERS. :TU:
nick theres no chance your using a differnet trans now and thats your problem? if the pads were already set for the 455 i cant see where it would have changed, but if you went from a th400 or 200r4 to a 350 i could see where the trans would be too far back. could just be in your trans crossmember.just my 2 cents.
Hi Nick, It might be possible that the motor-mount is bolted to the other motor-mount holes on the engine block. I remember having to move mine during my last install.
Uhhhh...I think he already tried that... In the first post there's a mention that an aftermarket crossmember is being used. If it's anything like the Gforce ones, there's specific applications for TH-400/TH-2004R, TH-350, TH-700R4/4L60E, T5s and T56s etc. etc. Does your crossmember go straight across from frame rail to frame rail? Or does it go diagonally across? TH-350 will get the latter. With an aftermarket crossmember, who knows what you have and where it's going to place what.
Almost..................... I ended up removing the PAE frame pads.I then mounted a set of big car frame pads I had laying around to the motor mounts.Set the motor in & bolted to trans as advised in previous threads.Got it where it looked good & had enough clearance for the oil filter.I then did the spray paint trick arorund the outline for the frame pads.Drilled new frame pad holes & used grade 8 studs in the pads.Took me about 3 hours to bolt them in.Dropped the motor back in & the drivers side headers fit perfectly.The passenger side is another story,I have had to beat up the headers pretty good to get them to fit.Was hoping to see if they were going to fit today after the latest beating but my dopey dog ate a AAA battery that my daughter left laying around.Ended up spending the afternoon at the Vets office:rant: Hopefully I will get a chance this week to see if the lastest header adjustment worked,then I can bolt everything up & get a measurement so I can have the driveshaft shortened.
its kind of funny you say that about the mounts, i had the t/a ones and ended up using the ones from the centurion my motor came out of instead. i had to grind on the upper control arm and a little on the bottom of the firewall to get the passenger side header to fit too. i did ding them a little but not to bad. hopefully the dog is alright. sounds like my german sheperd, everything in the mouth.
Took her to the BPG Nats for the first shakedown.Best of the weekend was 10:53 @126mph piloted by Doug Hecker.:3gears: :3gears:
