67Rocket

Getting ready to pull a 455 and trans and noticed that Olds conveintly put a bracket at front of the engine but none at the rear. Where do you guys recommend hooking up at the rear to remove the engine? I realize these big blocks are heavy and dont want to strip any threads, Also do yall remove engine and trans together or individually? Thanks to all.

brownbomber77

Depends on the equipment you have as far as angling the stuff out. It's usually easiest for me with a standard cherry picker without a load leveler to have a chain bolted to one of the bell housing bolts and crossed over to one of the front bracket bolts on the head.

oldcutlass

I use a plate attached to the carb pad on the manifold.

67Rocket

I am using a std cherry picker.. Would you pull motor and trans together? I have pulled many small block chevys with the trans, my concern is the weight.

wr1970

No i wouldn't pull motor and tranny in one piece.I also use a intake mounted plate much better than a chain.

tru-blue 442

I always used the the front U and the opposing manifold to head bolt using an old starter bolt. Never have tried pulling the trans along with though. Never had any problems, also using a standard cherry picker.

wr1970

Maybe you should try a intake plate? If you did i doubt you would go back to the chain. Beside that they are cheap to buy.

oldcutlass

I've done it both ways, with the trans attached and not. The car needs to be high enough for it to clear. The only time I pull both at the same time is if I intend to remove the trans also.

tru-blue 442

Maybe one day, I can do it my way and not have to remove the carb.

wr1970

I have too but not with the plate.You might be stressing the bolts on the plate when pulling both at the same time.Safety first!A 455 with a turbo 400 is a lot of weight.

Octania

The tensile strength of four 5/16 bolts is an order of magnitude larger than the weight of the engine and trans. Carb plate is fine.

I generally use the chain, hate to mangle the U bracket so I tend to use accessory holes in the front of the LH head and rear of RH head, 3/8 grade 8 bolts. 3-legged chain if possible.

wr1970

When did you become a professor on strength of 4 bolts on a intake plate.It is obvious you are out of touch with the modern approach. I have been pulling motors both ways.I used chain falls before there was cherry pickers!LOL As a matter of fact pulling motors out with a winch truck before that on a chain.

joe_padavano

I'm not worried about the tensile strength of the bolts, it's the tear-out strength of the threads in the intake that scares me. Granted this is a non-issue with an iron intake, but I've had to helicoil too many aluminum intakes to be comfortable with the plate approach. Plus, I always need to tilt the engine, so I have one of the HF spreader bar/tilters that works well.

To the OP's question about the rear attachment, there is a hole in a rib in the block casting diagonally opposite the front U-loop. The factory lifting fixtures picked up both. Note that the factory fixture had a curved block that fit inside the loop to prevent distorting it.

This isn't a great photo, but you can see the assembly line fixture and how it hooks into the rib at the back of the block.




Here's a shot from the front:



Here's a shot of the hole in the block casting:

wr1970

Joe P how many years never pulling out any threads on aluminum intakes does it take to convince you or anyone that a plate is not only easy but strong enough to pull motors.Would since 2001 belong enough? I am sure these plates were avail before that.That is just when i switched.Joe i am not talking just one or two times.In 2007 i pulled a race engine out 5 times for problems.I have built five race engines. Joe i installed all of those and removed what was there.We have used this same method on my sons nova to pull two motors and reinstall them as well as my buddies 65 cutlass.

joe_padavano

This same argument gets used a lot in the aerospace industry. I'll give you my standard answer:

People constantly point to flight experience as "proof" that something is safe or "flight qualified". It took NASA 25 flights of the shuttle before they had a 3-sigma day (that was Challenger, for those of you not old enough to remember).

Back on topic, as I said, I've had to repair threads on too many aluminum intakes to consider this safe. Sorry, but that's my personal experience. Your engine, your feet, do what you want.

Besides, the plate mount STILL doesn't have the engine tilter function built in...

wr1970

My standard answer Joe!Don't use a plate if the threads are in question. I have never smashed my hands or feet. This about tilting not required if there is no tranny. I insall and remove them separate.Your miss trust is missguided.If you were closer i would invite you to talk to some shops near me they use plate method.Sometime as we get old we get dead set in thinking!Think about it.

67Rocket

Thanks for all the advice, decided to play safe and pull engine separate. Trans next.

Octania

"When did you become a professor on strength of 4 bolts on a intake plate"

When I looked up the strength of a 1/4" bolt one day out of curiosity. Steel is surprisingly strong especially if carefully loaded.

I actually have one of them factory engine lifter thingys, got it at a yard sale along with a W30 carb core.

Lansing...

wr1970

Unn Professor i just don't use just steel bolts i use grade 8 steel bolts!Much stronger than grade 5.

Octania

Wuss

Socket head cap screws!

oldcutlass

Lol...