Engine Installation - What not to do?

amcdonald

Active Member
Hello

So, I have got my rebuilt 3500 motor back from D&D Fabrications, a rebuilt BW35 slopbox and torque converter, and the part I busted on removal from HRH HarveyP6. I am nearly ready to start putting it back in. I have never done this before.

question: I am not looking for detail here but rather if anyone has any suggestions about major or more likely things that may easily be cocked up (by a beginner) that would potentially cause it to have to come out again - or worse - I would be glad to hear any suggestions. Thanks!
 
If the converter isn't in place in the front of the gearbox take care when fitting it to align everything properly. Fit the engine and box together on the floor and fit them to the car as a unit. Don't fit the gearbox compensator bracket and linkage to the bellhousing until the unit is laid in position in the car with the engine mounts in their holes on the crossmember brackets, but before you lift the gearbox up to its mounting bracket. When tilting the unit back in it helps to keep the front wheels of the car on the floor, but raise the rear on axle stands. When fitting keep a watch that the rocker cover doesn't come into contact with the petrol reserve tap if the tap is bulkhead mounted.
 
Don't do this if you want to stay original, but it makes life a hell of a lot easier.

Having chatted with Clive at the weekend and in readiness for the 4.6 install I decided I would make the front slam panel removable, because when I put in the 5sp the box was a bit tight to squeeze under the tunnel, so with the eng/box more level it should be a doddle.
Panel was removed by releasing the spot welds with a 3mm tungsten cutter in a die grinder being careful not to go through both skins.

I decided to use Rivnuts to bolt the panel back in with. 4 x M6 each side on the top and 2 x M5 each side for the diagonal brace.

Laid back in place.
 
Very nicely done. The only other car that I've seen with this modification is the prototype 3500S manual. That was done for ease of removing the engine again and again.

However, it's never been very stable, and has previously had a bad habit of flexing a bit.
 
Thank you
I gleaned the idea from this forum, I have had good luck with it, there is no sign of movement, flexing or fretting of the fixings. Fitting the engine with the trans on is so easy, it is an almost level path to install. Obviously the rad is removed.
 
There's at least another two cars, mine and Simon's. I can't see there being anything remotely structural about that thin spot welded bridge piece, there's a large crossmember directly below it. When mocking up engines in and out it's really a gift not being there.
Is that the burgundy coloured car with the offenhauser intake Chris?
 
makes you wonder why they never thought to do it as standard- cost i suppose,
makes it easy to get stuff past it though won't it
neil
 
Sporting analogy time:
I was always told that you don’t set a field for bad bowling. But then you realize (what you already knew but were suppressing in an optimistic fog) that your bowlers are crap and then you move everyone out to the boundary. So it’s a bummer the bit isn’t removable.
 
There's at least another two cars, mine and Simon's. I can't see there being anything remotely structural about that thin spot welded bridge piece, there's a large crossmember directly below it. When mocking up engines in and out it's really a gift not being there.
Is that the burgundy coloured car with the offenhauser intake Chris?

No, you're thinking of JXC822D, one of the 1966 P6B prototypes.

KXC is a blue 3500S manual prototype that started life as a NADA 3500S automatic.
 
Don't do this if you want to stay original, but it makes life a hell of a lot easier.

Having chatted with Clive at the weekend and in readiness for the 4.6 install I decided I would make the front slam panel removable, because when I put in the 5sp the box was a bit tight to squeeze under the tunnel, so with the eng/box more level it should be a doddle.
Panel was removed by releasing the spot welds with a 3mm tungsten cutter in a die grinder being careful not to go through both skins.

I decided to use Rivnuts to bolt the panel back in with. 4 x M6 each side on the top and 2 x M5 each side for the diagonal brace.

Laid back in place.
A mate of mine in Cape Town did that to his classic Race car and mine will get the treatment if I ever get around to putting it back on the road.
 
Now being time proven it seems to be a great mod. I of course made it a little harder as my OCD kicked in. I did not want my bolts splattered about the place like the spot welds, so I filled in all the holes in the top panel so I could drill new ones in line :rolleyes:
 
I carried out the removable slam panel modification last winter whilst I was installing a manual gearbox. Cobraboy helped with advice and moral support. I made a bit of a pigs ear of the first couple of spot welds by grinding through the second skin of metal, but I got better as I went along. I think there were something like twenty spot welds in all. My buddy with welding skills filled all the holes back up and I 'dressed' the slam panel back to as good a shape as I could manage. It won't win any prizes but it is secure. I fitted 'rivnuts', M6 on top and M5 on the diagonal braces.
Excuse the poor quality of these photos, taken with an old mobile phone.
I'm glad I did the job even if it was a lot of hassle. The motor and gearbox could be refitted without having to lift them above the height of the slam panel. I was able to leave the exhaust manifolds attached and they just slipped through the 'hole' between the headlight boxes.
removable-slam-panel.jpg
 
One of my employees had CDO. He doesn't suffer from it though, he seems to enjoy it :p
 
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