Starting on an engine swap. My original 223 IL 6 is seized and I have a replacement from a 63 truck. I have some questions on how best to safely get the swap done. Hopefully not too many questions. I didn’t want to clutter the board with separate posts.

1. These engines are heavy! I have a 1.5ton engine hoist so that should be ok but where do you bolt the chains to the motor to lift it? If anyone has pictures that is a bonus!

2. I am going to paint the motor the original yellow color. My oil pan is blue which seems a little odd....is that correct or maybe the pan was replaced at some point? The manifold was also yellow and the paint is still visible and intact on about 40% of it. I assume I need to use some kind of high temp paint on it. Does “engine” paint work or something more heat resistant?

3. When I pull the engine (and reverse the process and reinstall the replacement) should I leave the tranny attached or remove it separately from underneath. If I leave it in and take it out separately do I disconnect the engine from the bellhousing or the transmission from the bell housing. FYI, I am working under Jack stands, not a lift.

4. Other than the hood, what is the minimum I can take off the front to get the engine out and in without making it a struggle?

Thanks for any feedback you can provide and please feel free to add any other relevant info that would be of help since I don’t know what I don’t know right now! First time working on these trucks. All my hands on has been on my ‘78 Camaro, 2001 Saab, 2000 Volvo XC70, 2007 VolvoXC70 and 30 years ago on a ‘59 Galaxy Fairlane 500.

 

The engine lift for those motors was a hook shaped fork that lifted them from the manifolds. You could wrap your chain front and rear of the manifold and on the lower right side there is threaded bolt holes you can attach an equalizing chain to and have a three point lift..I'd pull the transmission with the motor. The 223 in my 56 Mercury was painted blueish green color.I'd pull the radiator so it doesn't receive any damage...

 

Thanks for that photo and suggestion. Exactly what I needed to understand how to make something work. That tool is pretty cool.

 

I removed the head and pulled my engine with chains attached to the block with two head bolts. After the fact, I was told this was unsafe and a bad idea, but my mechanic friend who was directing the operation said he always does it that way.

I painted the intake manifold with regular engine paint, but used something different for the exhaust manifold. As the pictures show, the transmission was removed and installed separately from the engine.

I believe the oil pan should be painted the same color as the engine.

Good luck.











Jim

 

Be careful you do not crack the exhaust manifold. They crack easily and are not reproduced. I would be afraid to try it like that as shown in the shop manual.

Hopefully someone may be along to show how they did it. I've never had a 6 cylinder so I don't know the best way. Perhaps remove the intake and exhaust manifolds as one piece. Put two bolts in two holes and attach your chain to them???

 

I made a lifting bracket. But as you can see the body was off. The side motor mounts were used only temporarily on my engine stand.

 

I had to move 3 newly acquired spare engines in a weeks time because they were going into a scrap bin. Actually one was already in a scrap bin and I asked them to pull it out for me. Eventually I lifted all three engines using the manifold bolt holes still with the manifolds on. I also used a larger bolt going into the holes for the "Side mounts", but the balance was still poor.

If anyone thinks the bolts/holes for the manifolds are weak: One of the engines was literally tugged on for 15 minutes when they tried pulling it out of the truck with a forklift, it never broke but I believe the bolt eventually came loose and it kinda ruined the hole threads inside the head, not completely but they aren't as tight as the once were. the chain broke once. Eventually the engine came out....

I know this isn't quite the politically correct answer most want to hear, but just FYI, these bolts/holes work fine, as heavy as the engines are, and they didn't' break. I should have shot video of them trying to yank that engine out of that chassis, was nuts and unsafe as hell. The entire front end chassis was 5 feet of the ground.

 

Here's another pic of my engine removal that shows more clearly the kinds of forces that were applied (apparently without breaking or damaging anything) to the head bolts. Putting the engine back in, I attached the chains much closer to the block with shorter bolts to lessen some of the strain.





Jim

 

Very important to clamp down onto the block surface (or manifold bolt holes) and with a washer to protect the block surface. Sideways forces on long bolts can easily break them off flush with the surface.

 

I installed the 215 in my 53 sedan as a fully assembled engine. I think I bolted a chain to an upper bell housing bolt at the back and to a thermostat housing bolt at the front, but don't remember. I do like the suggestion to remove the manifolds from the engine before you pull the motor, you don't want to go looking for an exhaust manifold.
I would disconnect the battery
Pull the radiator
Disconnect all wires
Look at how hard it would be to pull the engine off the bell housing so you don't have to remove the transmission. I think that is what we did when we swapped engines in dad's 55 F-100 years ago.

 

They are made from Unobtainium.

 

Next question...

I assume the transmission can come out without removing the cross member. It is clearly structural and it looks like with the transmission cover off it will lift up off the mounts and yiu can slide it forward.

just confirming!

 

Two bolts hold the bell housing to the cross member. The cross member is riveted to the frame. Transmission can be removed from the bell housing, I'm assuming you have either a 3 speed or 4 speed manual transmission.

 

4 speed manual. I was going to try and pull the transmission with the engine. The tranny looks very heavy.

Thanks for the info!

 

The 4-sp weighs about a 100 lbs as I recall. I wouldn't lift the engine and trans together unless the front end sheet metal is off. Way too much weight and wrangling with it high in the air for my taste.

My cherry picker is also 1.5 ton but at the furthest reach (needed to get the engine high enough to clear the sheet metal) it is down to 750 lbs. Take some measurements before you hook it up.