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Time to put the original 216 engine back in my '53 1/2 ton truck. When it was taken out (by others, years before I got the truck) the transmission was left in place, with temporary supports.

My question, for those who have done this before: would you recommend I take the transmission out, assemble to engine, and install as a unit? Or might it make more sense to leave the transmission in place, and attempt to mate the two as I install the engine?

Thanks for any insight and advice.

It depends if you have the front sheetmetal on the truck. If you don't have it on the job of installing the motor and transmission together is not to tough. If the truck is assembled putting them in together is difficult. You should be able to leave the transmission installed and mate the motor to it. Make sure that you use a clutch alignment shaft. Many will take the transmission out, install the engine and then install the transmission. It is all about your comfort level doing the job.

I would leave the transmission installed, but it's preference as Don said.

Thanks for the input, I'll try putting the engine in with the transmission in place.

Meanwhile - how tight is too tight? The engine was supposedly rebuilt two years ago, by the previous owner. WIth the plugs out and a splash of Kroil in each cylinder, it is very hard to turn the engine over (the only thing that works at all is the prybar against the flywheel teeth). It takes a lot of effort to get the flywheel to turn at all. Too tight for a (rebuilt) babbit-bearing engine?

I would take tranny out. Engine too heavy to "shake" splines in. But I have never tried putting engine in that way. Seems like potential for heavy swinging thing to damage lighter solid thing. Not a lot of work to take it out.

Secondly: Built two years ago and sitting? Not sure if PO did it right? Seems hard to turn over?
Should put on engine stand, drive oil pump with drill to check flow and pre oil. Turn over with starter, no plugs, to see if starter spins it good. Would be nice to start it, if you can, on the stand. Have an experienced person look and feel and listen. ALL this BEFORE installing. You need to know what start-up procedure the 216 guys do after rebuild. Can't gauge how hard it is by your description, could be normal, could be trouble. Be careful. HOLD OFF....See what the 216 boys say to do.

If you don't know what the other guy did exactly and the engine is already out of the truck, I would put the engine on a sturdy engine stand and pull the oil pan and check all of the main and rod bearings for proper clearance with plasti-gauge and check the second from the rear main thrust bearing end clearance. If all of that specs out, I'd turn it with the starter, with the spark plugs removed on a stand made for running an engine on the floor before installing. Don't trust. Verify.
Carl

If it was mine I would figure out why it is so tight. As mentioned above you should at a minimum put a starter on and connect it to a fully charged battery and see if it will turn over, first with the plugs out.
When you get to the point of installing it and decide to do it with the transmission in place make sure that your alignment shaft slides in without any resistance. You will also want to make sure that you have your engine hanging square so when you lower it in and want to slide it into the transmission you have a straight shot. Jerking and shaking will lead to damaged parts as mentioned above.

Hi. I made the mistake of not testing my engine before installing it. After putting it in, it wouldn't start, and it was very disappointing to have to remove it and start again.

Both times I installed the engine with transmission in place. Here are a few things I learned:

- use an engine leveller. The engine seems to want to go in at a severe angle (rear is lower than front), then as it gets close to the firewall it can level out.

- use a clutch alignment tool. The engine would not slide in when the clutch was aligned by eye. Aligned properly the engine slid in.

- watch for things that catch. In particular, the starter linkage should be upright and in place, the clutch and throttle linkage wants to catch, and also the fuel lines.

- for me, while underneath the truck and on my back, grasping the rear motor mounts and pushing against the frame with my feet and wiggling the engine into place seemed to work.

- pins or tapered punches were helpful to align the transmission with the bellhousing.

Hope this helps.

I recently dropped the oil pan on my 49 216 to clean it up and give the internals a look see. It's a good running engine installed in a 49 3100.
With the pan off I could easily spin the crank via the flywheel.

While I was in there I checked the main bearing gaps. After I retorqued each main bearing cap I'd check and make sure I could still easily turn the crank. I also installed a new rope seal into the rear main cap. Even tho I only installed the lower rope seal it tightened the crank up so much I couldn't turn it by hand. The lower rope seal really tightened it up.

With the engine out it is a whole lot easier to pull the oil pan and check everything out, thats what I'd do.

Good luck
Dave

This is kind of weird to me. To be honest, I didn't know anybody would put an engine in and have the tranny already mounted to truck. I really don't see why and I would never do it. Bolt them together on the floor or bolt the tranny up after engine install. Both are way easier and no risk.

I have done this with both 3-speed and 4-speed enclosed drive-shaft transmissions.

Why?: This saved me the work/parts/gaskets/gasket-adjustment/time needed to re-attach the u-joint and the enclosed drive-shaft ball/bell/cover.

It has been a while since I have done this - but, I think that I/we (I needed a helper) had the rear-end on stands and the transmission in gear - one of us could rotate the transmission front-shaft (main-drive shaft) by rotating a rear wheel (to get the front-shaft lined up with the splines in the clutch plate).

I used two alignment "pins" (one in the clutch housing attached to the engine and one on the transmission).

Would I do this if the transmission was out of the truck, attached to nothing? No.

I am thinking of open, simple, slip yoke driveshaft. I see your/others point.

Yes, I completely agree with you on installation with an open drive-shaft transmission.

". . . original 216 engine back in my '53 1/2 ton truck . . . the transmission was left in place . . . "

And, I agree with you with an enclosed drive-shaft, if you need to open up the u-joint/cover to service/replace the u-joint and/or the gaskets/seals for the u-joint housing.

Thanks to all of you for the great counsel and advice. I had my buddy from the VCCA who is very knowledgeable on stovebolt engines come over today and look things over. He agrees that the best way to proceed is to leave the transmission in place and set the engine in, mostly because of that strange universal joint mentioned earlier. Apparently he has tried it the other way on a '49 truck, and it did not go well.

I'll try the trick with the line-up punches and laying on my back while my helper adjusts from above with the engine leveler, which I have on order. I used a cut-off section of mainshaft as a clutch alignment tool, and it looks like everything is lined up OK.

Apparently the engine is not too tight after all. It takes about 45 ft-lbs of torque, applied at the harmonic balancer, to turn it over. I was basing my concern on inexperience with babbit-bearing engines. Looks like we are good to go! Hopefully I will be able to report in short order that I have it all together.

Drive day is coming!