Remove Engine on a GT?

[namba209]

Originally Posted by tekenaar . . . or perhaps the FPO, . . . uh, Forgetful Present Owner!!

I sure hope not Otto, that would put my USAF training in suspect mode. I bagged and tagged everything that came off the car as I was disassembliing it. I actually thought, at the time, is was peculiar that the subframes had different sockets needed to remove them. Darn, now I'm gonna have to live with this new acronym.

[namba209]

Bosco, rent a cherry picker, drop the engine out the bottom on the floor and raise the car with the cherry picker, slide the engine out. it's super easy that way. You'll need about 7 feet overhead clearance to raise the car with the cherry picker. HTH.

[Dennis Texas]

Use a shop crane fairly cheap a fold up model is about 178.00 at Harbor freight and 5 ton jack stands they have detent sure locking adjustment you just lift and the catch locks it automatically they have solid wider base as opposed to the cheaper pin adjustment and angle iron type jack stands and a good floor jack. Make an investment, if your working with cars now you'll be working with them later as well, you can't afford to be cheap when it comes to your safety. Check the price of a trip to emergency room and then settle for the 400.00 or less for the proper tools. ( Harbor freight is a great source for equipment )
I have done a few opel GT's own 5 of them ...dropped drivetrains out the bottom and pulled engines out the top dropping out the bottom is the easiest and fastest way for me.

[73Manta72gt]

I bolted together some scrap metal from a salvage yard and used a chain hoist to remove/install my 1.1L engine and tranny in the GT. The FSM says to pull the 1.1L out from the top of the car and it was very easy with the 1.1L

Since I have this hoist now, do you think it would be easier for me to get the 1.9L out the top of the car instead of the bottom? I should have enough height to get the engine vertical.

Thanks

[BQS4]

Originally Posted by 73Manta72gt I bolted together some scrap metal from a salvage yard and used a chain hoist to remove/install my 1.1L engine and tranny in the GT. The FSM says to pull the 1.1L out from the top of the car and it was very easy with the 1.1L Since I have this hoist now, do you think it would be easier for me to get the 1.9L out the top of the car instead of the bottom? I should have enough height to get the engine vertical. Thanks

I have heard that the head would have to come off in order to bring the 1.9 out the top, but, with what you have, you can use it to lower the motor/trans/engine cradle to the ground and then use the lift to pick the front of the car up and over the motor/trans.

[PROPEL]

Originally Posted by 73Manta72gt I bolted together some scrap metal from a salvage yard and used a chain hoist to remove/install my 1.1L engine and tranny in the GT. The FSM says to pull the 1.1L out from the top of the car and it was very easy with the 1.1L

I'm not sure why the FSM just specifies through the top, but the 1.1L can also come out from the bottom (same way as a 1.9L GT).

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by 73Manta72gt Since I have this hoist now, do you think it would be easier for me to get the 1.9L out the top of the car instead of the bottom? I should have enough height to get the engine vertical. Thanks

Sure, just turn the car over on to its roof and pull it up

[dryandell]

A friend and myself pulled a 1.9 attached to an automatic tranny out the topside. We just unhooked the wires and lines from the engine unbolted the motor and tranny mounts, pulled the radiator, and pulled it out with a cherry picker. We accomplished this in less than two hours, and it was a first time try; could probably do it in less than an hour now. Most importantly, we didn't have to worry about a car falling on anyone. A lot of people say to pull the engine out the bottom is easier; I'm not contradicting anyone, but I had a easy time pulling the engine topside. I guess it's just which ever way you want to try.

[Dan-MI]

I wondered how hard out the top would be. Did you leave the trans hooked up? Is a manual trans harder to pull through the top than an automatic? It sure looked to me that if you pulled the radiator and took the hood off that it should swing out ok.

[dryandell]

I haven't pulled a standard, but the auto should actually be a little longer than the standard, since it uses a smaller driveshaft. Yes, the tranny was still hooked up to the motor. When we lifted, the tranny's weight caused the motor to lay back some, and it easily come out the top. If you just pulled the engine alone( which I haven't done) you may not have enough room to pull it from under the firewall. With the tranny attached it just tilts back for an easy pull. Good luck.

[kwilford]

Originally Posted by Dan-MI I wondered how hard out the top would be. Did you leave the trans hooked up? Is a manual trans harder to pull through the top than an automatic? It sure looked to me that if you pulled the radiator and took the hood off that it should swing out ok.

Some folks take it out the top, others out the bottom. By the results of this poll, four out of five Opelers prefer the bottom

[opelwasp]

I have been accused of being an a$$ man.

[Gumby]

I'll be pulling my motor and transmission this week. Even with the radiator out and the hood off I'm not sure I'd want to go to the trouble of taking it out the top if I didn't have to.

[jordan]

Dropping the engine though the bottom is always the way to go.

[markandson]

Just did my install by myself, bottom of car is 23" off the floor, put the engine with no peripherals bolted on onto my old creeper and rolled it under the car, grabbed it with the engine lift, put the cross member on, put the tranny on the same creeper and slid it under the car, used long bolts in the top two holes to line it up and then slid the tranny home, bolted the whole thing together and then raised it up using the engine lift and a floor jack under the tranny. Took me a while doing it by myself but no damage to anything, would have been a little easier if I had left the water pump off.

[jlthunder]

I'll be doing the same to the junker we pulled home. Out the bottom it comes. PB Blaster has been applied!!

[OpelNewb]

I didn't have too much trouble getting mine out the top I had already pulled the trans and bellhousing. You do have to have it at a pretty good angle to get it outta there. To reinstall I may go thru the bottom since the car will have pretty fresh paint on it.

[markandson]

Originally Posted by OpelNewb I didn't have too much trouble getting mine out the top I had already pulled the trans and bellhousing. You do have to have it at a pretty good angle to get it outta there. To reinstall I may go thru the bottom since the car will have pretty fresh paint on it.

I agree with you, I did exactly the same thing.

[blancojp]

I took mine out from the top, comes out easy without a water pump and tranny.

[First opel 1981]

And it took hours. Reinstalled it through the top. It took hours.

To pull from the bottom is the easiest by far.

Every bolt except the 13mm bolt that stabilizes the engine crossmember on (I think) on the passenger side.

I have dropped an engine that way in less than an hour. Reinstall took about an hour and a half.

Try it.

[MonkeyNutZ]

The PO already had the transmission off of my engine so I took it out the top. It took about 3 minutes and nothing got in the way. I expect to put it it the bottom with the transmission in one piece though.

[hotrodder1969]

just droped the engine and tranny from my gt with some help from Ooooner lol now the fun starts what should i replace while it is out on a budget so i cant do everything just what is real needed

[West Coast GT]

When you drop the engine out the bottom, do you guys:

1. Remove the engine cross member & uprights with the engine/transmission still attached to it?
2. Remove just the cross member, then remove the engine/transmission?

[First opel 1981]

Originally Posted by West Coast GT When you drop the engine out the bottom, do you guys: 1. Remove the engine cross member & uprights with the engine/transmission still attached to it? 2. Remove just the cross member, then remove the engine/transmission?

2.

Leaving the engine attached to the crossmember is a great way to have to buy a new pair of motor mounts.

[BMWonly]

Originally Posted by West Coast GT When you drop the engine out the bottom, do you guys: Remove the engine cross member & uprights with the engine/transmission still attached to it? Remove just the cross member, then remove the engine/transmission?

Keith, I did #1. When I removed the engine, the motor mounts had to be replaced anyway. Installing was much easier with the trans and engine crossmembers sitting on the furniture dolley, but you have to be careful not to bend the motor mounts too much, they will crack. I had the assembly on the cherry picker most of the time.

Dieter