440/727 install in one piece?

[Sonny]

Got my 360/904 out of my ‘70 Belvedere today. Was tight but came out in one piece. Will my 440/727 go in as one piece too? 727 is 4” longer so I guess l need to hang the 440/727 at a steeper angle or do each separately?

 

[Cranky]

That's the way I've always done it.....and if you don't have the tilting engine leveler, let the trans land on an old creeper to help guide it into place.

 

[snakeoil24]

lift car drop body down on with k member installed on engine

 

[vintage chromoly]

Once you put one in from the bottom, you’ll never put one in from the top again.

 

[1967coronet440]

Easy, get a load leveler and jack the front up slightly to help with the angle.

 

[snakeoil24]

A good way to load from the bottom for safety, place rear tires on ramps. Tires should be near front of rams. use lift straps with a cross beam bolted to front end to lift equally. Locate engine trans assembly on a dolly with additional support for tail shaft 8 inches off ground on dolly. 2 people are really needed for this. Have brakes installed with shocks to lower control arms. install cooling lines for transmission and everything you can on engine from distrib to car and belts. Using your engine hoist will allow rear wheels to move back 4-5 inches as body is raised. THey will move forward as body drops down. Install radiator and shroud after engine is bolted up. Once the engine is installed with k member bolts not fully tight get a t square and check the tail shaft is paralell to frame sides. Adjust after ou measure.

 

[moparedtn]

Would you believe my old arse has done this solo more than once? Yep, with a full blown 4 speed and shifter bolted on no less.
In thru the top is fine.
Yes, the angle of the dangle will be quite steep (shockingly so if you've never done it before) and yes, elevating the car at all four corners is mandatory.
Have a trans jack or some sort of "landing pad" for the tail end of the transmission ready to go under the car and clear the decks under the car.
Everything needs gone out from under there before starting.
However you go about getting the engine at the severe angle, you make DAMN sure your rig has a FIRM hold of that engine - a 440 and transmission
is half a ton, easy.
All that ready, go slow and steady and try not to destroy the firewall and/or the radiator support.
It'll go. It's been done a million times before, by folks with less equipment than you.
Good luck!

 

[towtruckAl]

what ever you use load lever or chain set up only use gr 8bolts to attach and tighten them up tight . I have seen a few results of using low or no grade bolts .

 

[WileE]

Once you put one in from the bottom, you’ll never put one in from the top again.

I agree. Any way you interpret it.

 

[OKDart]

I've done it plenty of times by myself with an engine leveler:

https://www.amazon.com/Torin-Engine...TF8&amp&psc=1&amp&refRID=EKYR9GAKDQKWQQ6BXSEQ

If you go in from the bottom, you have to take out the torsion bars, steering column, ball joints, idler, etc. Then you'll need an alignment, that's fine if you're restoring the car, but for an engine swap, it's less work from the top.

 

[vintage chromoly]

No need to align the front end if going in from the bottom.
You don’t move the upper a arms or the tie rods. No need to mess with the idler arm or ball joint either.

 

[Mike67]

I built a k member dolly and plan on having everything bolted/wired up ( or at least have everything ready to connect) i dont want to scratch new paint fighting headers .

 

[Sonny]

All great ideas. I’m just a guy with an engine hoist in his backyard. Only looking to do this once.

 

[miller]

I’m just a guy with an engine hoist in his backyard.

If you can get some kind of good floor surface to work off of...since it's a lot of weight.

Lucky in my shop, good floor, and always done it the same, over the top. Need a third hand, on the trans!
Neighbor, ex-drag racer (older guy), helped me drop my 440/727 in. Almost laughed! He was nervous, and surprised, all that weight, and it slipped right in. Tilt it, once over, push the trans tail down, and back into the hole.

Only hurts once!

 

[Don Frelier]

If you go from the top wrap the tailshaft with bubble wrap or some heavy smooth material. Then as you fish it in you can afford a little contact and slip it in. It's not that much more work to install the trans separately, but you do need the car way up

 

[Cranky]

Would you believe my old arse has done this solo more than once? Yep, with a full blown 4 speed and shifter bolted on no less.
In thru the top is fine.
Yes, the angle of the dangle will be quite steep (shockingly so if you've never done it before) and yes, elevating the car at all four corners is mandatory.
Have a trans jack or some sort of "landing pad" for the tail end of the transmission ready to go under the car and clear the decks under the car.
Everything needs gone out from under there before starting.
However you go about getting the engine at the severe angle, you make DAMN sure your rig has a FIRM hold of that engine - a 440 and transmission
is half a ton, easy.
All that ready, go slow and steady and try not to destroy the firewall and/or the radiator support.
It'll go. It's been done a million times before, by folks with less equipment than you.
Good luck!

Lost count on how many I've done by myself. Woreds nights mostly and all my friends worked days so had to learn how to be a one man band. My biggest helper was using a chain fall from the rafters and moved the car into place and found out that using an old creeper and letting the tail shaft land on it helped a lot. This was before I finally bought a load leveler! Last time installing an engine a buddy came over and attempted to help but all we did was run into each other lol

And lowering the car down on the engine/k member is nice but only if the K member is already out.

 

[moparedtn]

Lost count on how many I've done by myself. Woreds nights mostly and all my friends worked days so had to learn how to be a one man band. My biggest helper was using a chain fall from the rafters and moved the car into place and found out that using an old creeper and letting the tail shaft land on it helped a lot. This was before I finally bought a load leveler! Last time installing an engine a buddy came over and attempted to help but all we did was run into each other lol
And lowering the car down on the engine/k member is nice but only if the K member is already out.

Yeah, one learns in a hurry to get some sort of makeshift tranny tail caddy in place under the car - one that will take care of itself and move with you as you work from above.

 

['68 Coronet R/T]

I agree that once you load one from the bottom you won't go back.
Here's my 440 with 4 speed attached to the K-member. It is sitting on two 4x4 posts that are resting on a furniture dolly. A board under the tranny for support keeps it somewhat level.

Used the engine lift to raise the car, rolled this under then lowered the car enough to get K-member bolts started. One man operation without any sweating over scratching up the paint or banging things up.

 

[vintage chromoly]

I like the fact that you can put 99% of the engine accessories on before the engine is in the car.
Also, no need to fool with the hood and don’t even have to remove the radiator.

 

[vintage chromoly]

Put that engine and trans in without a single scuff on those pretty new TTI headers.