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Guys,

I would like some opinions here please. I may possibly be looking at an engine overhaul on my 235 that is in my restored 54 Chevy truck. I am going to run a compression test and leak down test first to check the engine's health but if I have to end up pulling the engine, I don't want to damage paint, etc.

So, should I remove the front clip, or just the grille, radiator and core support and pull the engine out the front?

Thanks in advance!

Kevin

That is what we did with my Suburban - I think that we also removed the hood.

Thanks Tim,

So you removed the front clip, or grill, radiator and core support ?

Kevin

The radiator and radiator housing/support was removed as one piece. I think we removed this first, and I think it was tricky because I dimly recall the top-edges of the radiator support was "intertwined" with the inner/outer fender.

The fenders (inner&outer) and grill was removed as one piece (very slowly/carefully).

I think we removed them in that order.

It is a two person job; and, three people would make it safer.

I would remove the entire front clip as a unit. You will have less chance of damaging paint. There are just too many fasteners which are difficult to get to in order to give you room to pull the engine. There is information that indicates that GM assembled the entire front clip as a unit off of the truck, then installed this unit on the truck.

i'm going to go the opposite way. i'd leave the clip on. i think there is more of a chance to damage the paint trying to remove the entire clip and then there is the whole panel gap/alignment problem when its time to go back together. I've removed a half dozen engines in my life and never took off a front clip to do it. Seems like way more work than necessary.

you have to take off the hood, go slow, have helpers, and put towels/fender protectors on anything you think you might hit or scratch. did I mention GO SLOW?

Clearly both ways have been done by many so you'll have to choose the method you are most comfortable with.

When I do something like this, as I did with my 38 Master, I put green painter's tape along all the edges that are going to move, relative to their surroundings. Painter's tape is easier to remove after.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Truckernix, I definitely concur on using lots of green painters tape!

tomctomc, roger that on covering everything possible! The last thing I want to do, is damage the paint on my truck.

Kevin

If your 54 was at our shop we'd guarantee no paint damage if the front clip was pulled but absolutely no guarantee if left in place. It is silly NOT to pull it to where it is completely away from any dropped tools, belt buckles, 600# engine swinging around, dangling chains, etc. I've seen dozens of trucks with the core support top cut out to clear a pulled engine. To pull with everything in place you first must have lift chain centered to move engine forward off the transmission and then re-position it to lift engine out almost vertically---all the while threatening a paint job. With the clip off just lift a couple inches till rear mounts clear and get out of the way, it's coming out. We can EASILY pull a front clip in 30 minutes and when loose have a helper and yourself take hold of it with one hand under the head light ring and the other in the center of the wheel opening as this gives perfect balance. Move just a little forward to clear cowl paint and then raise WAY up for inner fender to clear everything. The fender curves in under the cowl so watch this. For sheet metal and hood alignment we have no problem but some drill an 1/8" hole in each panel and then align with an 1/8" pin when re-installing so everything is in the exact position as before. A dab of dum dum seals these holes. Have a 52 and 57 Chevy pickup (V8's), a 40 Packard (engine overhaul), and a 37 Buick (a/c components) sitting without clips right now so no paint damage is going to happen to any of them.

Amen, and Thank You, coilover,

One of my assistants was a friend/neighbor, and the other was a friend/professional mechanic/painter (whom I paid by the hour). They were skeptical of my decision, but the pro had formerly helped with a more tradional upwards lift (with only hood, radiator/housing removed).

We spend much less than 1/2 the installation/re-installation time (engine AND sheet metal), and we spent no $$$ hours dealing with paint chips from assembly/disassembly of front grill parts/etc (1954 trucks).

Two careful people are needed for this technique, and three people are better (my third person was cheap insurance: he was a careful neighbor who took instructions and did not even accept one beer after the job (we put up with the bad jokes he told during the job).