Technical How to hold the engine up ?

I'm preparing to pull the th350 transmission out of my 32 Ford roadster, from below. I'm trying to come up with a way to suspend the 327 Chevrolet V8 while, there's no transmission to robustly support the rear of it. My distributor is very close to the firewall, so I can't afford for it to move much at all without pulling the distributor.

Anyone have any clever ideas?

Thanks ~

 

Rachet strap and block of wood.

 

4”x2” strapped to the chassis with some blocks as spacers.

 

floor jack under the 2x4. Or a jack stand, and some other type of shims as you can cobble.

 

Pull the diztributor, and lower it down as much as you can, block it up; will make it easyier to get the tranymission out...just watch for the fluid running out of the tail.

 

I'd be thinking with a sbc in a 32 the distributor will be coming out one way or another, either to gain clearance or to replace it after it gets damaged.

Chris

 

I've got to agree that it is wise to remove the distributor before you have to remove the pieces of the distributor.
Pontmerc's suggestion of ratchet strap and block of wood is word for word what I was going to say.

Or if there is a hole on each rail of the frame in the right spot a couple of bolts the right length and a piece of metal or a 2x4 the right length with matching holes will work. Or a chain between the bolts with a block of wood under the pan.

I'm not found of the idea of using a floor jack because they can drop or bleed down, they get in the way when you are working and they can be knocked out from under the pan when they get in the way.

 

Jackstands under oil pan rail at block on each side.

 

yeah, you need one you can trust.

Usually just getting the distributor cap loose will prevent damage to the distributor, but it can still mess up the paint on the firewall. If you remove the whole thing, then you'll have to get it back in properly, and meantime you'll be dealing with filling the transmission, etc.

have fun!

 

If on a lift, support the oil pan with a lift stand
On the floor I’d use a jack stand with a rag to protect the pan. You can use plywood under the jack stand to dial in the height so it doesn’t drop any
Ive supported a bunch of em with a jack. But for long term holding I’d use a jack stand

 

Bump the engine til you're at your timing point and mark it on the distributor and engine. Masking tape if it's all showey and you don't want a sharpie mark. Pull it. Sleep well through the process. Why mark it at all? Gotta turn the motor to unbolt the convertor so why add timing it from scratch to the process? I'm lazy like that. I can't see your get up so simple logic, blocking and safety should apply, but the ability to lower or raise it as you pull bellhousing bolts might be handy, and of course when you reassemble. Again, I'm lazy like that.

 

Use a cherry picker. Then you can raise or lower as needed. I would just pull cap and rotor. That should be enough clearance.

 

I've known a lot of long time car guys that are askeered of pulling the distributor but if you don't disturb the motor it's no big deal. I also like a screw or sissors jack to suport the back of the motor. No bleed down of hydralic jack. A plastic plug from the auto parts store so trans fliud dosent dump out the tailshaft and you're good to go.

 

With an auto, there isn't as much aligning and jiggling to get things apart and together, but it's still possible.
As said, I'd pull the converter bolts (rotating the engine), bring it up to TDC, mark and remove the dist. then drop the engine/trans down enough to clear the bellhousing bolts. Support the engine with your choice, if the car doesn't have to move, the solid object to floor, or if it must be mobile, straps or frame mounted rig. The reinstall will be easier if there is enough room for a straight shot and the engine is solid. Depending on clearance, you may want to stuff rags behind the engine so it is cushioned at the firewall. A slight dent is preferable to both being scratched.
At this point, the driveshaft, shifter and cooler lines can be removed, then the bellhousing bolts and trans. The output plug is a great tool, but many of us have done the big spill and roll in it. A bag, glove or other rigged catch usually doesn't work. A drain pan can limit the spill, but is usually a big pain and doesn't prevent some on the floor.
If using a regular jack, you can lower the trans, but if the car isn't way up in the air, it often gets to the point where the trans has to be slid into the floor and dragged out. A sheet of cardboard or plywood or even a blanket helps here.

 

One of these would come in handy if you have a concrete floor.
https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-low-lift-transmission-jack-70262.html?_br_psugg_q=trans+jack

 

Swap the motor with one that has the distributor on the correct end....

 

I would pull the torque converter to flywheel bolts before marking and pulling the distributor. When the distributor is on the bench, the odds of it getting bent are pretty low. Popping the cap and rotor off may not help at all if its an HEI distributor.

 

Why would I spend more money to make less power?
Touche'

 

OK...I got under the car today and pulled the flywheel cover. It's bone dry in there; torque convertor, flywheel, back of block, all dry. Looks like the leakage is from the pan and it was dripping forward and going into the louvers, making it look as if it was coming from the transmission front seal. I pulled the pan and cleaned it out and found some grey/silver gunk, but not more than in other transmissions.

Background: I got this transmission from a guy in Massachusetts, it was in his backyard and he claimed it was from his brother's 6 cyl. Nova. He claimed it was "good" and worked fine when they took it out. The fluid didn't look bad, and there's not many good TH350 cores left, so I bought it for $100.
I cleaned it up, installed a new rear seal, governor cover seal, selector shaft seal, modulator valve and filter then put it into service in my 32 roadster. It seems to, as stated, work good - not hard shifts, but no problems with kick-down, shifting up and down through any gears, etc..

The question I have is do you think I should put a new pan gasket on it and run it...wait for something to go wrong to have it gone through, or just go the rest of the way and do it now. Like I said, it had some grey/silver dust sludge in the pan, but I've seen a lot worse go for several thousand miles.

 

Your last sentence , I believe, answered the question.

Ben

 

If you don't want to worry about the transmission leaving you stranded every time you go for a ride, rebuild it.