The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Removing The 235

For general info, what would the normal time be, barring any problems, to remove a 235 from a '59 3100? This would include removing the trans and drive shaft.

Barring ANY problems, for a first timer maybe an hour. Rusted in cotter pins/nuts/bolts, caked up bolt heads, stuck on hoses, wire terminals that spin with the nut, and a myriad of other ambushes can double or triple that time.

That means, not an hour before dinner, a social family occasion, etc., wait 'til Saturday when others are busy with something else, make sure to allow extra clean-up time before dinner.

I know I'm not answering your question about time and I'm sure I'm not saying anything you haven't already thought of (or done already), but best case scenario in my opinion is that you don't worry about time. Remove enough sheet metal to allow removal of the engine and transmission as one unit through the front. You know, disconnect everything, lift the engine and trans off the mounts and slip it straight out nice and safely. If you can, before you do this also remove the manifolds, starter, water pump, fan blade, distributor, even the head if you have enough mojo to lift it...take off everything you can to reduce weight. Removing a 235 by leaving the sheet metal in place...that is to say just going up and out with it can be difficult and because of the weight of the engine and the height involved can strain your equipment. Besides that, having this much weight up that high changes things. I don't know how, but it seems to in my experience. God or Allah or Buddha or L. Ron Hubbard can only watch over you up to a point. If you try to do this after all I've said without at least removing the radiator, it will be in harm's way. Also whether you are renting a hoist or using one of the Chinese ones, please go to a hardware store and purchase a length of brand new chain capable of holding your engine without coming apart. You're taking a chance with that hydraulic cylinder, but it will seldom fail and drop your engine. I have heard about that happening, but not often. It has never happened to me and I've used some pretty dodgy hoists. The $14 or $15 you spend on a chain is money well spent. Nobody wants the engine to come down unexpectedly and the sound of a chain link breaking that is holding anywhere from 600 to 700+ pounds off the ground is one of those sounds you'll never forget. Good luck and please keep safe.
Jon

Allow yourself an entire day on the first time, if this is for planning purposes.

Every bolt you remove needs to get labeled & stored in a ZipLoc bag. Go ahead and get the driveshaft off & out of the way. I've helped pull three 235s since pulling my own last June; the second, third, and fourth engines came out & were on an engine cart in less than 45 minutes (with pre-disassembly of ALL externals- distributor, fan, etc- and I'm estimating the time...I've never clocked it because it was always fun ).

Allow yourself the entire day on the first one, however.

Brad

Edit- Allen just jogged my memory some; a lot of the bolts/cap screws will need replacing, so go ahead & measure them & look at thread counts when you bag them up. Maybe put an index card in there with them. I just did my engine re-install, after not getting measurements at removal, so this is just hindsight advice.

Just did it for the first time, and agree with Jon and Brad, allow the better part of a day, assuming you have everything you need. Take some pictures of linkages, etc before you take it out, so you know how it goes back.

Brad and Allen's points are real good ones. I put all the bolts in old envelopes from a business I closed and labeled them. Oh and if you need digital images of how my 1952 went...linkages, etc, please let me know. I'd be happy to send any picture I took to you.
Jon

Thanks for the inputs.......My mind's thinking told me, considering removing the radiator, fan, starter, generator, oil pressure line, exhaust pipe, transmission, drive shaft, wires, and even the horn.....it would be no more than 1.5 hours. A hot rod/restoration shop, with supposed experienced mechanics, charged a friend of mine 7 hrs, @$45.00 an hour rate ($315.00), to remove the engine, pressure wash/degrease the cross member/tie rod, remove the clutch and pressure plate and mounts from the engine. I about s*** my pants when he told me. I can only imagine what it's gonna cost to put an engine back in.

If they have never worked on one its probably not a bad deal. One wrong move and wrecking something can cost way more than 315.00. The guys that really know how to work on the old stuff and going by the wayside everyday. Be glad you can come to a place like this for help to keep the torch going.

This of course goes against the grain, but its how I do it. I have back problems and find it easier to lay down on a creeper than bend over the engine compartment. So, I disconnect the driveshaft, then remove the transmission, then through the access panels just below the flywheel, remove the clutch. Once I am down to the engine, flywheel and bellhousing, I remove the head (easily done with a cherry picker), then I remove the radiator just to be safe, then all I have left to leverage out of the engine compartment is the block. It seems harder to some to do it this way, but I get to inspect each part as it comes out, it just works out better for ME. On the big trucks I put the cherry picker through the passenger side door via the trans cover to carefully drop (or install) the trans. However you do it, have FUN!