Advice on how to remove the engine... no suspension fitted.

[jrleech]

Hello,

The time has finally come to do some more work on my Mk1.

I want to drop the engine, to clean it up and give it an overhaul, but am not sure how I can do it safely given the current state of the car....

- ALL suspension components are removed, all brackets, supports etc..
- Driveshafts and steering rack are removed.

Basically, the only things left on the underside are the coolant pipes and the fuel tank, and they'll be coming out soon.

Normally, you can drop the engine/box to the floor, jack the back end of the car high in the air, and pull the engine out. Problem is, I'm sure if I tried this without having wheels at the front, the car would just fall off it's axle stands, and I'd trash my very expensive paint job.

I thought about buying one of those 'trolley dolleys', so the front can at least slide a bit when jacking up the back..

Another option is to rent one of those vehicle scissor lifts and lift the whole car (which seems like a safer option).

Any ideas on how to do it?

Thanks,
Jon

[MartG]

Problem is, I'm sure if I tried this without having wheels at the front, the car would just fall off it's axle stands, and I'd trash my very expensive paint job.

I've done it twice with the front end up on axle stands - in fact if you try and do it with the front end on the wheels the front splitter hits the ground. Neither time did the car show any inclination to fall or slide off the stands.

[SilverSurferMR2]

Problem is, I'm sure if I tried this without having wheels at the front, the car would just fall off it's axle stands, and I'd trash my very expensive paint job.

I've done it twice with the front end up on axle stands - in fact if you try and do it with the front end on the wheels the front splitter hits the ground. Neither time did the car show any inclination to fall or slide off the stands.

Just make sure you don't stand in front of the car!

SSMR2

[Jim-SR]

how high does the car need to go?! i cant understand how the front splitter could ever touch the ground. ive dropped 3 or 4 4A-GE's out and never had to lift the car any higher than a jack could manage on the sills, and then sit the car on axle stands. done it with the wheels on most of the times.

drop the engine onto a piece of board and balance it. get someone stood in the engine bay partly lifting the engine and balancing it, whilst someone else slides the board out the back. if you drop the rear engine mount and the exhaust (plus suspension is already gone) then there is nothing much in the way. ive done one on axle stands at the front without any drama. also bearing in mind that my driveway slopes down about 20 degs, and the front end was at the bottom! so there couldnt be much more inclination, the car must have been at 35 degs+, and it never slid. i had someone standing at the front to push it in case it did. its not going to suddenly shoot forwards, it will break friction on the stands gradually and just start to edge forwards if its going to. youll have more than enough time to either push it back or lower the rear end down

[Ad Mayo]

This how I put mine back in, me and my dad hung a pulley from his garage trusses and then used the timbers under the car just as a precaution as his pulley was over 60 years old but we still found it hard to get the engine under as we just had to push it under the car by hand we didn't have a trolley. then lowered the car on to it with the pulley then used an engine hoist to pull it up to it's mounts.

[jrleech]

Thanks guys, good to know. I'm just paranoid about my paintwork, should really have done all this lot first and the paint last!

As there is nothing on the underside, I can probably get away with lifting it less than normal anyway.

Thinking about tackling the fuel tank tomorrow.... might change my mind by the light of day!

Cheers,
Jon

[crazylegs]

forget about the fuel tank. its a real pain. its all the pipes that are the problem. if you can avoid it.