Engine and gearbox removal

[Rich K]

Just found time to remove the engine and gearbox on the 81 drophead so that the engine bay can be tidied up and painted and any mechanical issues attended to. Removed as a single unit with the rear of the car jacked up in order to drop the nose and provide more clearance.

[busheytrader]

I used the same method plus I let the air out of the front tyres for extra clearance

[dursleyman]

Same here but I have to do it outside because there is not enough height in my garage.

[Beans]

Been there ... The blocks under the front wheels were for clearance between spoiler and engine hoist

[Rich K]

We did have to “persuade” the engine hoist legs to go under the anti roll bar at either side, but that’s ok as the bar will be painted at some stage. I did think of putting blocks under the front wheels but wasn’t sure if that would leave us with enough height from the hoist.

[busheytrader]

I since bought one of those engine levellers to help raise the tail of the gearbox over the front panel.

Thankfully I’ve not had to remove the engine since.

Go back a few years and the forum was full of those who raved about removing / fitting the engine, gearbox, subframe and front suspension from underneath. Great if you’ve got a mega garage and don’t have to move the engineless car about. Kudos to you Russ for open air heart surgery.

[Howard722]

Thirty odd years ago I took my engine out leaving the gearbox in situ,- so it can be done with care.
It involved a block and tackle for the hoist and a low profile trolley jack `in-line` under the gearbox so that the car could be rolled out from under the seperated and raised engine-it just cleared the nose!
Once the engine was clear of the drive shaft-only some inches of rearward rolling, I `hung` the gearbox on two short chains (with bolts to the bell housing) from the bulkhead and removed the trolley jack allowing easy movement of the car with gearbox in place.
Reversed the process to re-install.

[tr7dan]

Took mine out from underneath which was pretty easy actually. I didn't have a hoist or, I don't think, the headroom to take it out from above but in any case the engine was partially dismantled and I did have to do some repairs to the suspension turrets and engine bay so it all had to come to pieces anyway.

I don't think any way is particularly better than the other - it all depends on the individual circumstances and what other work may be required.

I'll be putting it back in the same way but I have made up a much improved trolley to take the whole unit, subframe, etc. and my garage floor is tiled and quite smooth so I'm not envisaging any dramas..... (famous last words)

[Rich K]

Nice looking garage you’ve got there. Looks like you could eat the proverbial dinner off that floor!

[tr7dan]

Cheers Rich - I remember when I was a young apprentice in my dads heating and plumbing business, we got a job at a local millionaires pad repairing the boiler that heated his swimming pool. The boiler was located in his garage, which was huge and had a tiled floor, and parked slap bang in the middle was an immaculate Jensen Interceptor. I remember thinking to myself, one day I'll have a garage like this with a tiled floor, but I never got a Jensen Interceptor..... I went one better and got a TR7 dhc

I put up with the dusty concrete floor for years until I eventually got it tiled. They were selling off boxes of ivory and black floor tiles at the end of the aisle in B&Q for £3.00 a box (was about 10years ago) and my tiler owed me a favour so all in all it only cost me about £80 to get it done. Definitely worth it.

[FI Spyder]

I never had to remove an engine but when I did my clutch I dropped the trans out the bottom. I bought a set of 4 hydraulic jack/jack stands ($36 each) that gave me 21"/22" clearance, I attached the bottom of the trans to a ATV scissor jack ($40) on melamine board and rollers. The top of the bell housing just cleared a notch in the frame as I rolled it out the side. I think if I had to pull a motor, I'd lower it onto a rollered cradle, lift the front end and roll it out that way. You'd have to drop the front suspension but you'd want to pull and paint suspension, check shocks etc. do the whole ball of wax while you are at it, including painting the engine bay where needed and cleaning/painting all the engine bay parts. I've only painted with POR-15 but next time might consider powder coat.

As for garage floor, I painted it with two part, grey epoxy garage floor paint when it was on sale with sprinkled on white, black and grey granite chips sprinkled to give that granite floor look. I later did the same thing in the utility room where the freezer and a work bench is. Cost $90.

[Hasbeen]

I did it differently, by accident, not by choice. When the clutch stopped working in one of my 7s I dropped the gearbox out the bottom expecting a clutch fork problem. The fork was fine, & I could not see any problem at all.

I decided to pull the engine to have a closer look at the flywheel, & pulled it out the top, with no problems at all. I then showed the flywheel & clutch assembly to a number of experts & knowledgable people, none of whom could pin point a problem.

Finally a spare parts bloke reckoned the problem was wear in the pressure plate groove the diaphragm sits in. It looked OK to me, but he supplied a new pressure plate that is still working happily, 18 years later.

The only problem with the procedure was when lying under the car, I eased the box back, & lowered it onto my chest, as I had done with numerous boxes. However either this box is much heavier, or at a bit over 60 at the time, I was not strong enough to lift it off. Being alone I spent about 15 minutes getting out from under the thing. At now 82 in a week or so, I won't be doing that again.

Hasbeen

[dursleyman]

Hasbeen, I also find lots of things on the cars we used to do quite easily are more difficult these days!

Gearbox out from underneath on all kinds of vehicles was always the regular thing but I am not strong enough to do it that way now.

[saabfast]

The only problem with the procedure was when lying under the car, I eased the box back, & lowered it onto my chest, as I had done with numerous boxes. However either this box is much heavier, or at a bit over 60 at the time, I was not strong enough to lift it off. Being alone I spent about 15 minutes getting out from under the thing. At now 82 in a week or so, I won't be doing that again.

Hasbeen

I have done that with a number of 4 speed boxes but no chance with the LT77, that thing could anchor the QE2. When the clutch failed (torque spring in the friction plate broke free and jammed it all) I made a timber skate to sit on 2 trolley jacks, lowered it and then rolled it off. Car was on jackstands on sleepers which just raised it enough for clearance. Did similar in reverse to reinstall. Not the easiest gearbox to remove and put back! Will not do it again even if I am 13 years younger then you.