The Dodge Challenger Message Board

I had a very close call this past weekend. I was putting my 440 and transmission into my newly painted '70 Chally.

I was working the transmission into position and my neighbor/mechanic was working the cherry picker, lowering it into position. We had a short space to maneuver this into place and shortened the wheels on the hoist in order to get it into place. We didn't extend the base as we should have and just after the picture was taken and just after I took my head out of the line of fire (center firewall area) the unthinkable happened! We had the engine about 8 inches from being all the way in when it got top heavy and fell forward! Luckily I wasn't in the line of fire and the only damage was a minor dent in the middle of the firewall and 2 paint scrapes where the valve cover screws made impact. The engine fell right onto the motor mounts and NO DAMAGE was done to the engine or tranny. Just a little paint work on the firewall as can be seen in this pic. This could have been a LOT worse!

Yeah you dropped the center of gravity forward of the hoist wheels. You were very lucky.

I always struggle putting the engine in this way. The last time when I took it out the engine swung slightly and the hoist fell over due to the rear wheels on it being fairly close together. Lucky it only fell against the wall but if it had fell over completely it would have crushed my wife.

When I came to putting it back in I did it the factory way from under the car. I lifted the front of the car and pushed the engine and front suspension under the car on a bogey. Much easier and safer that way. You can even fit the headers on the engine first.

Dave
Your avatar creeps me out! My assault weapens are locked and loaded. LOL!!!!
I'm sure I missed it. Who is that charictor? SP?

Oops! My spelling sucks!

patrick wrote:Dave
Your avatar creeps me out! My assault weapens are locked and loaded. LOL!!!!
I'm sure I missed it. Who is that charictor? SP?

No that really is me just getting out of bed one the morning.

No OK it is Dr Manhattan. One of the characters from "Watchmen". The comic strip and also this years not-quite-a-hit movie. I saw the movie on the flight over to the US.

Toy Peddler, you were SO lucky!! Not only for you -the most important thing, but almost as important - nothing was damaged on the engine (nice twin tunnel rams too!) or car. After reading that and Daves account, i don't feel so silly -i did exactly the same thing with a 360 going into my Chal. Trans bolted on, but slightly different, my mechanic had lengthened the boom to get it to reach and it was front heavy. I had just pulled the eng/trans away from the front of the vehicle and it was dangling 1m off the ground (about 3 feet), when it toppled forward and smashed into the ground. It snapped the mini-starter in two, bent the p/steer pully and dented the oil pan. Luckily didn't crack the bellhousing. It was more embarassing than anything else, as everybody in the workshop came running over to point and stare.

dave-r wrote:When I came to putting it back in I did it the factory way from under the car. I lifted the front of the car and pushed the engine and front suspension under the car on a bogey. Much easier and safer that way. You can even fit the headers on the engine first.

I think i am doing it that way next! If only to make it easy to get the headers in, would be good enough reason, but also so much safer.

I wouldn't try pushing it under with a tunnle ram intake on the engine though. You would have to lift the car MUCH higher to clear that thing.

patrick wrote:Dave
Your avatar creeps me out! My assault weapens are locked and loaded. LOL!!!!
I'm sure I missed it. Who is that charictor? SP?

All Geordies look like that. It's because they go out on the town in November with just a T- shirt on.

i remove all accessories , ps pump,and alt.made the front heavy,also no spark plugs if one of those hits and snaps off inside the head,man whew

,i did it this way but i had 3 people, i stood on the trans and guided it in from the back and someone guided it in from the front and someone else on the hoist,also i used old sleeping bags/blankets to pad the whole front of the car you are lucky you didnt drop it on a fender

, but its in now and im sure you learned a valuable lesson btw i have done 10 engines from the front and no problems , i noticed your pully system on the hoist,that thing looks like it can roll back and forth with out control, i use a pully lock system that kept it from moving unless i wanted it too

did your gonads pucker during this install?

Thank goodness nobody was hurt. That's almost 1000 lbs with that 440 motor and transmission.

My 340 has been refit several times with the 4-speed trans assembled using a steeper angle and a single chained pivot though.

We set the car on frame jacks with the tires 6" or so above the ground and manually lift the tail up over the radiator support. Then it requires someone (me of course ) under the car to push the tailshaft up while a trusted helper guides the other end and lowers the motor to the mounts.

I'm just too lazy to disassemble the front suspension in order to place it in from the bottom. Probably makes sense when doing a full restoration though.