Motor install

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chance1
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Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:39 pm
Location: Nashville , Tn.

Motor install

Post by chance1 »

I know this isn`t ideal to most Corvair people but i have to install a motor in a 64 PG , the trans axle is still in the car so motor only is going back in . anyone have any input to make this as painless as possible ? type of jack to use , angle of motor and trans axle as to mate up easily ? Thanx for any input .
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terribleted
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Re: Motor install

Post by terribleted »

Have torque convertor on the transaxle before trying to mate the engine. Have a jack under the diff so you can adjust diff angle if needed. I have always balanced the engine on an engine length piece of 2x10 on my large pad floor jack (about 6x6 pad) with the jack pad around 2/3s of the way forward under the engine. When I jack the engine with the floor jack the front goes up and the rear stays on the back of the jack. if the engine is in the right spot you can fairly easily push the rear up a little if need be for helping the angle for alignment to the diff. You should make sure that one of the torque convertor flex plate nuts is in position to end up in the center of the access hole near the top of the bellhousing. You should also position the crankshaft so a flex plate bolt hole is also centered in this access (does not need to be perfect ...closer is better...you can use a suitable drift to align the hole with the nut after the engine is mated). This is best done with 3 people one on each side of the engine to make sure it does not fall off the jack and to wiggle it as needed into position and the 3rd at the jack handle to jack and move inward and outward as needed. Be sure to apply some grease to the nub on the torque convertor and the hole in the front of the crankshaft to help the two slip easily together. Good luck!!
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
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Located in Snellville, Georgia
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bbodie52
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Re: Motor install

Post by bbodie52 »

:welcome2: :wave: Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

You left out many details, such as the model year of your Corvair. Also, is the engine you are planning to install a replacement engine or the original engine? The target vehicle is equipped with a Powerglide transaxle, but as the engine configured for mating with an automatic transmission?

The attached pamphlet, Corvair and Corvair 95 Power Train Removal & Installation, will provide you with a basic illustrated outline for removing and installing a Corvair powertrain in an early model Corvair. The contents of this pamphlet are very useful as a supplement to the appropriate Corvair shop manual. You should not tackle such a project without access to a complete shop manual to guide you.

While it is possible to install an engine in a Corvair with an automatic transmission without removing the transaxle, I would not recommend it. Disconnecting and lowering the transaxle is relatively easy, and mating the transaxle with the engine when both components are out of the car is much easier than trying to a line and attach an engine to an already installed transaxle. Such a project is even more difficult in a Corvair with a manual transmission. I would also say that is safer to mate the components outside of the car rather than trying to adjust the mating angle and slipped the torque converter bell housing around the torque converter while juggling the weight of the heavy engine.

The link below will provide you with a list of useful websites that are Corvair-related. Some of the links will lead you to an extensive technical library that will allow you to download shop manuals and other technical references in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format at no cost.

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

:link: http://www.corvairforum.com/forum/viewt ... 225&t=6007
Attachments
Corvair and Corvair 95 Power Train Removal & Installation.pdf
Corvair and Corvair 95 Power Train Removal & Installation
(3.35 MiB) Downloaded 56 times
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
chance1
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Location: Nashville , Tn.

Re: Motor install

Post by chance1 »

if you look again i said it was a 64 with power glide ? i dont think it matters but it is a convertible and the motor is not the original but is setup correctly to go in the car and i do have a manual but was looking for hands on experience in doing this . and what may seem hard for one person may not be that hard for another .
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terribleted
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Re: Motor install

Post by terribleted »

I have often pulled engine only, it is a pain with a standard trans in any year and only gains anything work wise in a late model 65-69 car with a powerglide (because in the late model you can avoid taking apart the strut rods and rear axle items). In early models, particularly you may as well drop the transaxle, assemble it to the engine on the floor, and then re-install the power train. There is very little to disconnect at the front of the powertrain, you need to pull the axles out to get enough angle to install the engine anyway, so whats left?...a couple trans end mount bolts. No worries about angles much. I have done the whole powertrain on my same jack with the same 2x10. You want the whole thing somewhat balanced on the jack (any imbalance should be to the rear). I jack it in to place and attach the front crossmember to trans mounts first and then jack the rear up to its mount. I have historically done this with the rear of the car jacked and standed only. If you have a way to get the whole car high enough for the powertrain to slide under with the car level it is even easier as the powertrain can be balanced and level during jacking.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
68ragtop
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Re: Motor install

Post by 68ragtop »

It's been a long time since I installed my Corvair's engine. Installation involved using a homemade engine cart/cradle, a floor jack and chains bolted from engine to the frame to keep it stable. The chains helped to adjust the angle one chain-link at a time, as needed. I should have taken pictures. :doh:

I got the plans for the Corvair engine cart/cradle from a website, but I don't remember where. It was made with 2x4s, angle iron, and casters to roll it around.
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bbodie52
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Re: Motor install

Post by bbodie52 »

The first time I removed the Corvair engine from the vehicle was in 1969, when I was 16 years old. The car was in 1963 Corvair 500 with a Powerglide transmission. I only wanted to remove the engine, so that's what I did. Using a sheet of three-quarter inch plywood to isolate the bottom of the engine from the hydraulic service station type floor jack that I was using, I followed the instructions in the 1961 Corvair Shop Manual to disconnect the engine from the transaxle and the torque converter. I went around the perimeter of the engine and disconnected fuel lines, wiring harnesses, the throttle linkage, etc. until I felt that the engine was ready to be "dropped". While working alone in my parents garage during my high school summer vacation, and sweating profusely — hoping that I would not drop the heavy engine on my head, I slowly went through a trial and error process of trying to locate the correct balance point for the engine, while balancing it on the small lifting platform that was a part of the floor jack. When I finally felt that I had it right I was able to lower the engine and separated it from the transaxle, while working the bell housing around the torque converter. I managed to successfully lower the heavy engine to the ground level without dropping it!

In the subsequent weeks I proceeded to dismantle and clean all of the engine components. I was able to purchase gaskets, bearings, and other components from the local Chevrolet parts department (back then you could still get Corvair parts there)! I took the cylinder heads to a local automotive machine shop and had them reconditioned. I replaced the piston rings, main and rod bearings, and all the gaskets and seals. I rebuilt the carburetors and managed to reassemble the engine. Then I reversed the process and carefully juggled the results of my engine overhaul into place in the engine compartment. In the end, the darn thing ran — and ran well! ::-):

I later discovered that the Powerglide transmission was faulty. The transmission fluid was dark brown and had the burned odor. I needed to rebuild the transmission! But I was also sure that I never wanted to remove the engine again using the previous techniques that I had followed to pull the engine by itself. Besides, I needed the transaxle out too! This time, I removed the entire powertrain as an assembly. There was a little trial and error as I found the balance point for the entire powertrain. But I found even this was easier because I could watch the powertrain come down from the three mounting points and see that it was off balance. I could raise it back up and temporarily put on the mounting nuts so that I could shift the position of my jack. After a couple of attempts, I had it right and lowered the powertrain to the bottom. Since that time I have removed and installed Corvair powertrains a number of times, and I am convinced that is much easier to remove the entire assembly and separate the components outside of the car than it ever would be trying to separate them while encased in the Corvair body.

The use of an engine cart and transmission jack would certainly make the process easier and safer. It is certainly possible to remove the Corvair powertrain while balancing it on the floor jack, but a properly designed cradle coupled with the proper jack is likely much better.

The attached files may be useful in helping you to assemble an engine and powertrain cradle for use with your Corvair.
Attachments
ENGINE CART - Al Lacki's Engine Cart Isometric Drawing & Assembly Notes.pdf
ENGINE CART - Al Lacki's Engine Cart Isometric Drawing & Assembly Notes
(122.34 KiB) Downloaded 36 times
ENGINE CART AND TRANSAXLE CRADLE PHOTOS and INSTRUCTIONS.pdf
ENGINE CART AND TRANSAXLE CRADLE PHOTOS and INSTRUCTIONS
(812.77 KiB) Downloaded 38 times
Brad Bodie
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Frank DuVal
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Re: Motor install

Post by Frank DuVal »

Yes, on earlies I always drop the whole drivetrain. Much easier.

If you drop engine only on lates, it helps to put a jack on TOP of the differential to keep it from rising as you separate it from the engine. It is still better to drop everything. Especially now that everything should be looked over and cleaned on a 50 year old car.
Frank DuVal

Fredericksburg, VA

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chance1
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Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:39 pm
Location: Nashville , Tn.

Re: Motor install

Post by chance1 »

I only jacked the car up high enough to get the wheels off the ground , put a bottle jack on top of the trans axle to push it down a little . had the motor on a wooden dolly from H.F. with a piece of plywood 15x21 across it and rolled it under the car , i put a 2x4 under the front of the motor to angle it up a little slid a low profile floor jack under the dolly lined up the motor and since the car wasn`t jacked up very high i only had to jack the motor up less than 10 inches and it slid right on first try it took a little time to line up all the bolts but it was very easy ? jacking the car high in the air and trying to balance the engine on a jack several feet in the air seems very dangerous ! most everyone you talk to makes it sound like a nightmare , i guess if you have over 50 years of experience working on cars and some common sense you can get by ok .
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terribleted
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Re: Motor install

Post by terribleted »

It is not that bad. Car a couple feet in the air at the rear of the car (below the rear bumper) is not very high. I only jack just high enough to clear the top of the engine going back in.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
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