To allow the engine room to pivot. I think that j was being nice when he said it was tight.....

Kevin

 

Clay, get some air tools, it will speed stuff up. I like to see little that I can do to actually get the part out, sometimes you get stuck, some times you don't. So you can't push the clutch back far enough to get it off the flywheel? I never done a clutch on one of these trucks. Any how, just tell yourself that the tranny and transfer case isn't too bad of job with the right know how. Same goes for the ball joints. Anybody in Airdrie have a torch? I have a plasma torch, but that's my last resort. I have the dana 60 on my work bench. I have one side apart, thanks to my handy recip saw. After yesterday met, I want to drive my truck pretty badly. Nice get together at Red Deer.

The lower ball joints where shot and the stablizer bar, tie rods where done as well. All of the front end bushing have seen better days. The truck was all over the road and needs some TLC.

 

Got air tools, I'm actually a HD mechanic by trade but unfortunatly I cann't bring vehicles into the shop to work on.

Truck won't fit in my garage without half of it hanging out in the alley. I was planning to do the engine swap at my parents acerage over a few weekends. I was going to modify my engine hoist to fit into a 2" reciever and do it out side but without a hard level surface for a tranny jack to roll on I don't think that will work.

Looks like I have a 4 day weekend at Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll bang it out over the long weekend and just risk having the door open for a few nights. I live in a pretty good neighborhood and could tie the dog up in the garage as security.

 

Have you found out whats wrong with the engine yet?

 

You could always get a sheet of 3/4" plywood to lay on the ground for the tranny jack to roll on-desperate times call for desperate measures. Our shop floor at home is crappy-but I manage to make do. Definitely need a HD tranny jack-but you'll only have to slide it back a foot at the most, not pull it right out unless you choose to.

There's no way around it-it's a PITA. Like I told a bunch of guys yesterday, my hands look like I have been fighting with wolverines. On the bright side, when you spread it out over a 2 month period like I did, you don't have too many worries about burns off manifolds etc. Even with the sweat equity, you'll have a cheap truck when you're done.

Mike, isn't there somebody on here that's from Airdrie that is a welder? Can't remember for sure...but pretty much any portable welding truck will have a set of torches in it. With the axle out, you can take it somewhere safe and have at it-I don't think I'd do it in your car garage there and your neighbors may not like it being done in your driveway! Lots of heat and lots of beating-but they will come out. If you're looking for a project engine, maybe you could cut a deal with Clay for his takeout. Can always sleeve cylinders-and I seem to recall a thread on CompD about using a CR head on a 24 valve.

Jason

 

Thanks for the advice Jason but I as well just thow it into my other truck and haul it to a local shop. They can do the bull work. I want to drive this rig sooner than later. Its only money, right...

 

Do have have a ball joint press? Princess auto sells a kit with all the spacers and bushings. Its the same as their ujoint tool but includes the bushings/spacers for ball joints. Looks like this:

http://store.lancastersupply.com/aspn78bajose1.html

 

Can the oil pan be pulled with the engine in? How is the oil pickup tube retained? I was thinking of trying to pull the pan and look at the bottom end, also with the pan and oil pickup tube off I wonder if the engine could then come straight forward, no more hump to catch on the crossmember. Its really too bad they didn't make that crossmember bolt in......

 

Are you dropping the tranny first? From the looks of things, if you get the engine adapter out of there, you should be able to bring the pan straight back. The pickup tube is bolted to the front of the block by two bolts, and another two bolts along the side. Drop the pan an inch, and you can get at those bolts.

 

No, I'm still under the illusion that I can get the engine out without dropping the tranny.

I thought maybe if the pan and oil pick up was off then the engine could come straight out straight forward.

When you do seperate the engine/tranny does the adapter stay with the engine or tranny?

 

is it locked up? or does it turn over? pull the injectors to see if there is anything on them

 

Adapter is bolted to the engine. Have to remove the flywheel to get the adapter off. If you lift the engine out of the engine mounts about 6" I hear, you can drop the pan then.

 

Yeah-from what I understand you have to lift the engine as far as you can to pull the oil pan out. Never done it-hope I never have to.

Don't think the Princess ball joint press will get the job done either-I have the factory Chrysler/Miller/SPX tool in my stable. It is industrial-sized...makes my Princess U-joint tool look miniature. I was spreading the C-frame trying to push my lowers out-way too much force for this cowboy. I had to heat-and-beat to get them out. Think I gave them an extra whack with the hammer once they were out to show them who was boss though.....

J

 

So JHansen, I hear that the list of tools that you dont have is much shorter than the list of what you do have!! Wish you lived closer!! Hopefully I will be able to meet you at the next GTG

Kevin

 

Lots of tools Kevin-but that doesn't mean I necessarily know how to use them all! I think I actually have a tool fetish....kinda been instilled into me for years by Dad that if you can buy the tool and do it yourself for close to the same money as paying someone to do it, then you still have the tool left at the end. Works for me-although I get carried away sometimes. I have a pile of CR stuff that I have yet to use-bought them after my brother got his '03 and I needed to justify the freight ordering something from Miller anyways. Lots of homemade stuff too-charge air system pressurization, fuel pressure gauges, etc.... Still need to get a VP44 hotbox and a couple more CR fuel system tools and some more misc. stuff-I'd take a StarScan if it fell in my lap cheap even though I don't have anything with CANbus....yet! . Gearing up to swap the engine in my Dakota down the road here so the next blast of stuff will be gasser-related I guess-looks like there is a special lift fixture to get it out.

Hoping to meet up with you at the next one as well to BS & check out your truck. Looks like it really flies. At one point in time, a long long time ago, my old girl was pretty impressive-but time and technology passed it by. Now it's reduced to spare-truck duty at the present time. Good break for it I guess-it's busted its hump for the last 7-1/2 years in the 'patch.

On an off-note, if anyone is looking for an industrial-sized ball-joint press, I have an extra one. I acquired the set of Miller adapters to do the kingpin bearings on the old-style D60s off eBay, but it didn't include the press frame. Turns out the OTC large frame and the Miller are identical-I should have checked before I ordered the Miller one. I can give you part #'s through either OTC or Miller to order the appropriate adapters for what you want to do.

Jason