Hey guys I'm on the final stretch building the 64 F-85 Pro-Touring ride. (7 years) a lot of you guys have followed my thread and helped immensely and I thank you. Okay-I built a rolling suspension and the body was then put on. This is my first early A-body with an automatic trans. I have a pesky little oil leak to tend too down where the timing cover meets the oil pan. People say just drive it for a while, call me whatever but want to provide the best I can, car is like my Picasso! The leak is not bad, but I want to fix it before its gets worse and starts to leave oil all over the under carriage-nope. Question is what have you guys used to hold the trans in place when you pull the motor? I don't know if the transmission mount will support the weight of the tranny or do you pull the trans first? Car has a 67 400E with a highly modified 200-4R, electric fans, old Air Products A/C system, headers. While I'm at it I'll have the rear main seal replaced, along with new timing cover, and a new FlowKooler water pump. And at some point "down the road" Ill pull it again only to replace it with a 480HP 425. Thanks.

 

I have always pulled the trans first. Makes it much easier to get everything back together.

 

I'll be in the same basic dilemma in a few years when I pull my engine for a rebuild. I was planning on using a 2x4 under the front of the trans pan and bolting the ends of it to the frame to support the transmission while the engine is pulled. I might need to use really long threaded bolts or all-thread and large washers to do this, but I think it'll be pretty secure.

 

Have always pulled engine and trans together, in the end it is quicker/easier.

 

Seems to me that pulling the trans would give you an easier shot at pulling the engine. I do have a lift in the shop that makes everything easier too. So I'm thinking if I pull the trans first, the motor mounts and the exhaust system shouldn't let the motor tilt back?

 

The motor mounts won't hold it, the distributor will make friends with the firewall. The exhaust will, though. But I'd drop the pipes while under there and then just stuff some rags between the firewall and the engine.

 

I'm not planning on pulling the engine and trans together, seems that to pull them out together, a lot more stuff (radiator, grille, core support) would need to be removed as well. If pulling the engine by itself, it can come out the top and over the radiator / core support (only need to remove the hood). Since my trans is "fresh", there is no need for it to be pulled, leaving it in place avoids messing with the linkage, cooling lines, driveshaft, cross-member, etc.

When I swapped transmissions (from underneath on my 4-post lift), I supported the engine by the oil pan to keep the distributor from contacting the firewall and getting damaged by the weight of the engine. Of course, once the weight of the trans is off the car, the suspension tends to lift the car up a bit, so I had to re-adjust my engine support to maintain clearance between the distributor and firewall.

 

Whether the engine comes out itself or with the transmission has always been a contentious argument and neither opinion is wrong. Either way, the radiator still needs to come out to prevent accidental damage, the core support and grille can remain in place.

 

First let me compliment the build. The pics are beautiful and i completely understand wanting finished right.

Whenever I've pulled just the engine I use my floor jack with a piece of 3/4" plywood the same size as the trans pan and hold the trans with the jack.

 

Chugger-okay that! So get the car up on the lift take out the flex-plate bolts, starter, remove header collector bolts and the bottom trans bolts. Lower the car down. support the trans with block of wood on the floor jack. Definitely pull the the radiator-has precious dual puller electric fans attached! Pretty much same idea as JohnnyBs68S. And THANKS for the compliment on the build. It's blazing down here this time of year. A fall-winter project.

 

I agree - leave the trans in the car. I use ratchet straps to support the front of the trans while the engine is out.

Nice car - you will get it right.

 

MY442-I have some ratchet straps! Ideally I would like to drive the car this fall-winter (repaired) with the 400E in it for awhile. Christmas parades would be nice. 350 HP early 67-400E with 65 A-heads, overdrive trans, A/C, a nice sound system and RELIABLE-SAFE is the mode of operation. I'm going to drop the rear another inch, currently has Hotchkis 1 inch drop springs now-don't like the stance. Then repaint the 15 inch GM big car steelies maybe black to accent the stripe on the body along with some fat rear tires. I was going to mini tub it and did not ohh well.

 

X2 on the ratchet straps. I've used that method if I needed to roll the car with the engine out. Just hook to a Bellhousing bolt hole up to the base of the hood hinges. It sounds wierd but reality is little stress on the parts and everything hangs happy.

 

You might try spray cleaning the area with a solvent like Wurth, not a brake cleaner with toluene or xylenes in it. Then apply some ultra copper or ultra black RTV. Might cure the leak if you are lucky.

 

I'm going to try that this weekend. Want the 425 crank back? Going in a different direction.. If I live long enough to get the car in the street my way! thanks Joe...

 

What I did a few days and seems to be holding. Oil leak right rear intake to block where it meets the head.

Seal up the holes on the valve covers - I pulled the PCV and fitting on the other side and taped over the holes. Put a shop vac on the oil fill tube and tape it tight. Turn on the shop vac creating negative pressure (vacuum) in the crankcase. Try to get acetone or lacquer thinner sucked in where the oil leak is, as well as clean around where the oil leak is. Apply silicone, in my case Permatex Right Stuff RTV, pushing it into and around the hole and the vacuum sucking it into the hole.

First tests when I did this, it worked.

 

Yup, this method will stop the leak, lot easier than pulling the motor...