I've decided to go with a crate 351 in the 1988 F250 ( I think that's the lingo). I've removed all the bell housing to engine bolts and the engine mount bolts.

I've never pulled one of these apart before.

Is there anything else to do or disconnect before putting a jack under the transmision and attaching an engine hoist?

Am I correct in assuming that the flywheel, clutch assembly, slave cylinder (internally mounted) don't have to be touched?

If I get the right balance on the engine when lifting will it separate nicely (fat chance) from the bell housing?

I've had a mechanic repeatedly tell me that there is no way the spline will leave the clutch assembly with the trans in the truck. He is saying that the bell housing needs to be separated from the trans first.

I cannot for the life of me see a separation point between the trans and the bell housing. It looks like one continuous casting - no bolts to disconnect either!

Am I correct in what I'm seeing or do I need to up the prescription of my contacts?

Thanks

 

I did a motor swap like that 15 years ago on a 85 F-150 4--spd. I did what your talking about. Left trans in, bellhousing and all. Used a clutch alignment tool to bolt pressure plate back on and back it went. I think I jacked trans up in the front to align back up. It has to be pretty sq. to pull out and put back in. Good luck.

 

Thanks, Then I'm on the right track.

 

Sounds like you need a new mechanic.

Depending on what transmission you have, it may or may not be a removable bellhousing.

Once you unbolt the bell from the motor, it will slide right apart. I suggest supporting the back of the engine as well as the tranny with a couple of floor jacks. The engine wants to tip backwards, and it will make removal difficult. Once you have the balance right, it will easily come apart.

Are you sliding the transmission back? Or are you removing the radiator and grill?

 

The radiator is out but not the grill. There is a smaller radiator there I guess for the A.C. There seems to be almost 12 inches clearance up to that point. So I thought I'd pull the engine forward then up. Should I remove the hood?

I was first going to put a piece of plywood to protect the cooling fins of the small radiator. Then I was going to put a floor jack on the trans and use my skid steer loader with forks and chains to lift the engine.

Sound feasable?

Oh, the advice was not from my mechanic just somebody's son-in-law who is a mechanic and very insistant.

 

Remove the hood. Take your time and be safe. Take pictures of small vacum lines and such so you can put them back.

 

Just feel around back of engine and check every time you move engine some . For any obsticals or lines . Keep us posted

 

My BIL pulled the 302 out of my '90 F150 without removing the tranny or the radiator. He had a powered hydraulic engine hoist, and the two didn't want to separate easily, but did eventually. Personally, I'd drop the tranny first--that's very easy to do. Just make sure you support the back of the engine first, depending on the engine (the mounts alone hold a 302 fine, but a 460 will tilt back quite a bit, enough that stuff might start breaking).

Jason

 

Don't forget to disconnect the fuel lines and ground wires to the block. It may take some shaking, rocking and prying to seperate the block from the tranny, but it will come apart easier than it will go back together.

 

I recently changed out a 5.0 in 91. the bell housing stayed with the tranny. had 5 bolts around top holding it to engine. clutch, pressure plate, flywheel. stayed with engine. had to remove hood. definately mark any vac lines, hoses, wiring connections can't stress that enough.

 

Thanks to all the responses.

I removed the hood and everything is unbolted, marked, tagged etc. I have a Bobcat skid steer to use along with come-along. Should be interesting and hopefully resonably easy.

New crate 351 engine should come next week. I'm getting it for $1375 with no shipping or core return shipping. 3 year 100,000 miles on engine and 5 years on the labor.

The local machine shop said around $2,000 soup to nuts. So I think the crate is a better deal and it comes right to my barn door!

One on my cylinder heads has only 500 miles on it having been replaced on the first tear down last month (prior to sucking in the whatever and ruining the #2 cylinder.

Does anyone have an idea if it would be worth scrounging up a beat head and returning the core with that on instead of the new one? It may be a waste of time but it bugs me to give back a virtually new component with the defunct core.

Do the crate eingines come with the oil pump and pan or do I use my old one?

I can see from the pictures that they don't come with the water pump, upper and lower intake manifold and valve covers and probable not the exhaust manifolds.

Thanks again.

 

The long block doesn't come with anything except the heads and the rotating assembly. All accessories are supplied by you, including water pump, oil pan, etc. They should give you a gasket set for the engine.

Not sure what to say about the head... except it would bug me too. If it's worth storing it to you, then go get a jacked-up head from the junkyard.

 

This may be to late, but this months issue of Classic Trucks has an article in it covering this operation and I just went through it myself. Well, almost through it, I removed the engine and such, but decided to turn it over to a professional when I realized the complications and set backs if one little gasket or sealing point was overlooked and I had to tear it down again. My cost was about 2K and I have had it back in once for oil leak already. Plus I had them work on the air conditioning at the same time. The A/C bit the bullit three weeks later and now its in the dealers shop to the tune of $ 600.00. The dealer says it was the other shops fault and the shop says it was the compressor that went bad. I wish I had reconsidered the cost's before I did all this. By costs I mean the time and energy plus money to have a 91 F-250 on the road.

 

The Bobcat skid steer did the trick.

Once the chain was in place and after jacking the trans up about 1 inch I lifted the engine, moved the Bobcat back and it came right apart. Far too easy for my blood. All my friend kept saying was sweeeeeeet.

And it was.

Now for the crate engine and the install.

And yes the cost of all the work I've done to the truck has been way more than I bargained for. I was a hairs breath away from purchasing a new truck and gettin rid of this one. But new truck payments would have been even more of an ouch! So I justify the $3,000 (6 months or so of new truck payments) as money well spent even though the frustration factor was pretty heavy.

Question: Is the radiator fan with a clutch suppose to turn all the time?

Before I did the engine pull the fan would run every time the engine did - never slowed down of sped up and I never saw it stop.

Do you think it maybe is time to replace the fan clutch?


Thanks

 

Make sure you dont bend your clutch! The clutch and fan should turn with the engine. When the engine is warm it should lock up and turn 100 percent with the engine (or close to it).