Engine out from the middle

I am planing major work, for me, anyway. The the engine frames have some rust and acid damage, check that little battery tray drain tube! The bonnet support frame is a bodge from a long ago crash, and the picture frame is from another car with the the numbers covered over, so it all has to go. The engine will get a front crank seal, pan gasket, rebuild the water pump, check timing gear and replace the timing tensioner. AND whatever else i find. The clutch and throwout bearing and pilot bearing will get replaced. and finally, if the is any money left the exhaust system.
The plan is to support behind the front bulkhead, make a cradle for the engine, and dis-assemble the front of the car around the engine. Anyone see any flaws in this plan?

Less work to simply remove the Engine and Trans.
Your going to have to separate the engine from the tranny anyway to service the clutch.
Removing the engine will also make assembling the subframe easier as well.
Youve got quite a bit of work ahead of you,make things as simple as you can.

I remember some one posting, the factory assembled the front as a unit around the engine. This way i donā€™t need a lift and lots of assistance to get the engine out,or have to pull off intake and exhaust manifolds.

Make sure to put a couple of sandbags in the floor wells: supporting it at the end of the longitudinal ā€œframeā€ extensions, while removing all from the bulkhead forward can make it a bit tail tippy.

This is basically how I did my bulkhead-forward restoration which started as a need to replace a cracked frame rail. By supporting the engine on a dolly and jacking up and down the car I was able to do the whole job without an engine crane or similar lifting device. Lots of photos on my website: tinyurl.com/zgjkej3

-David

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I take the engine in and out the top by my self . I donā€™t think thereā€™s an easy way each has its foibles . Some have already mentioned issues . If you follow the manual you at least have a check list to follow and a hoist is peanuts for what your planning

Hi,

Most likely only very early in production. AFAIK all 4.2ā€™s and 5.3ā€™s (1964-1974) were painted with the front subframes already fitted to the body, thus having paint on the boltheads and no paint (except primer) under the frame flanges.

As period photos show, the engine was fitted together with the gearbox from the top at the factory, but in all 6-cyl E-types I would rather remove and refit it from below. On the V12 the only way is up.

Cheers!

One advantage taking engine first, then frames, will be better working access to all the little parts like hoses and wiring routes asf - as well as for taking all your pictures. On reassembling, I would want to get the rails and maybe bonnet fit first to get measurements as good as possible without having to move the engine weight around. Iā€˜ve only swapped the engine once, so take this accordingly.

Hi Steve,
With all the full restoration projects we do, that is the way we remove the engine; by supporting it and dismantling everything around it then wheeling the engine clear. We use a motor cycle jack with a 1.5" timber base to interface between the jack and the sump. Ratchet straps are used to secure the engine to the motor cycle jack.

Brent

Good info to have. Trying to think things out before tearing into the project

Certainly a viable and sensible plan, if one is doing a bulkhead-forward resto.

Again, Whats to be gained by doing it this way? He stated he was gong to replace the clutch,PP & TOB.
The trans will have to be separated from the engine. So either way the egnine will be removedā€¦

Given the OP stated he was going to replace the frames, the advantage is to disassemble it from the outside to inside.

Makes perfect sense to me.

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I had to do some ā€˜heavyā€™ maintenance work last winter and also replace my frame rail(s) due to a crack. I took the engine out first, then I had tons of room to do all the other work of accessing and removing things. There are a few bolts and areas that are a PITA to get to no matter how you do it, but when you think about it, you are only putting off the inevitable by doing the work as you describe. You will definitely be needing to take the engine out eventually. Why not take it out first, then with all the room in/around the frame rails, you might not even need to totally remove them.

Purely based on the experience of doing it both ways, many times, if the engine and engine frames have to be removed, working from the outside in, removing the engine frames from around the engine is far easier. It also means for a DIY person, that no hoist, or engine crane is required.

Brent

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The fact that both the engine/gearbox assembly and the engine frames are to be removed is the kicker. If only the engine and gearbox then of course you wouldnā€™t remove the frames, but when both assemblies have to be removed, we have found removing everything from around the engine, then wheeling the engine free of the body, is substantially quicker.

Brent

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Proceeding with the smoking credit card part,gathering all? the parts needed. SNG has free shipping at the moment, which helps. Does anyone have experience with the Tourist Trophy ss exhaust from Moss?