I am about to tackle installing a long block 350 into a 1990 fullsize blazer. This will be the first time I have actually removed the WHOLE motor out of a vehicle. I have a few questions:

1: Should I remove all the accessories before hand like the power steering pump, alt, A/C?

2: Would it make life easier to remove the transmission (700R4) with the engine or should i leave that attached and just take the moror?

Is there any tips or tricks that would help me along the way? This doesnt look like a hard motor swap. Its your basic small block 350 out of a fullsize rig, everyhting seems to be out in the open and easy to get to.

 

every mechanic likes to do it different. i like to pull the junk off first leaving the p/s and a/c lines full and out of the way others pull the hoses and drain every thing a small block chevy is easy just take your time and lay it all out as to how you took it off. your biggest problem will be getting it high enough to clear the radiator support. good luck
edit ps leave the trans in the frame

 

Mark all of your wires. Take pictures with a polaroid if you have to. Be smart, take your time and try not to break anything. Leave the tranmsission in the truck. Air out the tires and it will be easier to get the engine out.

 

Yea, don't actually touch, look at, or think about the stuff you're taking off the engine. There is a tendency for some people(me) to say, "since I have it off I might as well put a new one on" or since I have it off the block I might as well clean and paint it( me again)" This philosophy is great for restorers that want to make a showpiece( not me), but really slows down the average mechanic and costs more money in the long run. I spent about a 1000 dollars too much on my 300 swap, bcause I didn't think the injectors could make it another 130,000miles so I changed them, I was playing with my smog pump and broke it, I sprayed so much degreaser on the frame the undercoat came off, and it needed to be repainted/undercoated. replaced all the coolant hoses, etc. etc.
I am just too **** retentive, another man would have been happy just swapping parts from one block to another and re-installing.

You need to think carefully "how far do I want to go with this truck, or how much should I spend, and once I'm done will it do the job???

There are a few items that are really hard to get to once the engine is back in and those should be given special thought before re-installation:
Oil pump, oil pan(some early 90's gray painted pans rusted real bad under the lousy paint job). Head gaskets??? its an easier repair out of the vehicle. I hope the rest of the FTE crew sets you up real good, I wish you good luck and lots of fun!!!!

 

USE Spay PAINT on the hinges on the hood,

 

Good christ! Don't screw this man up...

Okay - you have a basic understanding of the engine systems, I hope.

Fuel.
Electrical.
Vaccuum.
Exhaust.
Coolant.
A/C (if there is any)

Make a checklist of what you remove, and from where.

Get a butt-load of ziplock sandwich bags to keep the fasteners (screws, nuts, bolts) that come out that you can tape to the parts that they were part of.

You want to take the radiator out first - so that it isn't damaged in any way. SAVE THE COOLANT!

You can take the transmission out at the same time as the motor, and seperate them after it is out. THIS IS THE BEST WAY! It takes a lot less knuckle busting...

Remove all of the front end brackets that you can from the front of the motor, DON'T disconnect the power steering pump or the air conditioner pump from their lines - hang them out of the way once the brackets are taken loose with wire. There is no reason to break their seals.

Take loose the exhaust manifolds at the heads, and wire them back away from the engine to hold them out of the way. You don't have to go underneath and disconnect the muffler pipe like the manual probably says...
WIRE them out of the way.

No mech in his right mind disconnects anything they don't have to. It means replacing seals that don't leak anyway.

Look for convenient places to undo wires - MULTI-CONNECTORS. If you have to run down every last wire, you'll be busy for days, chiefly - figuring out things you don't have to.

You want to bench build this engine - put the wires you take off right back onto the new motor.

Do it one for one. If all else fails - I'll be here for you.

(SO WILL A LOT OF US)

The prime consideration is pulling it out cleanly - no hangups.

Use the "REACH AROUND" system - run your hands all the way around the engine and transmission, searching for anything still connected. Go between the body and frame and the mechanical assembly - MAKE SURE nothing still connects the engine and trans to the frame and body! If you can get your arms and hands all around it - it should be good to go. Be careful anyway - you may have missed something.

Lift only a little at a time - and look for problems.

I have never yet seen an engine hike that was totally trouble free...

If the mounts on the engine have a centerline bolt running through them - GET THAT BOLT OUT!

SOME mounts are designed to have half of the mount bolted to the frame, and half to the engine, owing to space restrictions. Be aware that in that case - splitting the mount is the only way you can get it out of there.

I could tell you a lot more, but I don't have any idea what you need yet. I wish I did....


~Wolf out

 

OK, I have started on the truck but I need to put it on hold for tomorrow. My shop floor kinda looks like the Exxon Valdez, I cant believe how much fluid the power steering, and tranny lines can hold!!

I've got the hood, rad, some plumbing, and electrical undone. Tomorrow I will clean the floor and get under the truck to get the trans and motor mounts, then support the engine weight to the hoist. So far I have yet to "bag" any nuts or bolts. I am a big fan of removing the part, then putting the nuts/bolts back on the part where they should go.

With the tranny, I think the way I am going to go about that is fiqure out how many bolts get removed. If its less bolts to keep the tranny in tact I think I will go that route.

A few questions to popped in my head as I was reading responses:
Why do I need to keep the radiator fluid? (not like it matters because I have disposed of it already).
Why does the exhaust manifold come off the heads vs the two bolts from the pipe?
Do I need to drain the oil from the engine?
What should I replace while its out? (keep in mind a long-block is going in)

Thanks for your help guys, I will be right here during this whole process responding and reporting!

 

Drain the oil, and recycle it,

you will need all sensors, the long block does not come with those

unscrew the dipstick holder, it gets damaged easily, soft metal

Do not mishandle plastic vacuum lines! when they break they are hard to replace or fix correctly

Wait, is the block you are installing from another truck or did you buy a remanufactured longy??

What is your garage ceiling height? The top of the hoist, chains and whole engine need to come up high enuf to clear the front of the truck, I had to pull my F150 I6 outside because of garage height issues. It is good to mock up or pretend to pull the engine to make sure you have enuf room. Once the chains are attached to the appropriate spots and the hoist hook is attached, what is the actual distance from the bottom of the pan to the top of the hoist assy? If the engine w/chains attached to hoist was 40 inches total, and the front of the truck chassis is 50 inches high, (or higher I put things on jack stands) That means the hoist needs 90 inches of clearance. Please check that carefully if you are inside.
I agree with greywolf on the tranny issue in one area, It is hard to unbolt the tranny from the engine while in the truck, however, it is also harder to get both the engine and tranny out in one clean pass, I would do that if I had two other helpers maybe. I still like the idea of leaving the tranny in the truck , andd it must be supported well if left behind, 2x4 or 4x4 wood does that nicely if you run short of jackstands.

If you have a condensor in front of the radiator it might be able to stay in the truck,(the rad has to come out!) I placed a piece 3/4 inch plywood cut to size, in back of the condensor to protect it from getting bumped.

If you have A/C, wrap all open A/C hose ends with plastic sandwich bags and tie off with rubber bands. Keep the AC components clean, and it is a great time to replace AC hose o-rings!!!!
On edit: Think back and try and remember if your thermostatically-controlled fan was working properly, Haynes and Chiltons will describe how it should be working, at cold start the fan should engage and cycle a few times. At least you might try cleaning the thermostat coil if you can unbolt it from the water pump shaft. Water pump!!! should be brand new, it might not be a good idea to reuse an older suspect pump. The WP is another item that is hard to replace when its back in the truck!! It is a good time to replace fuel hose o-rings also as well as injector o-rings. OH BOY, I told you it never ends!!! You can always find a reason to replace an old part.

Well, my thinking may be wacked, but I put alot of TLC into the long block I installed myself last year and it seems to have paid off. 17,000 miles on the truck and all systems are working well.