Ok I have read a number of threads on installs.Some with trans,some without,some under car stuff,but heres the thing. Im in the back yard under cover...ish. I have a good engine hoist and some jack stand(for the most part I am all tooled out). So what are some pros and cons on the different installs ?
I was set to lift the little bugger up and slide it all in under,but it seems there are a few things that may not work out as planed.I still may do this,but if not what is the key things to make a top install easy ? How high up should the back of the car be to keep the engine and trans more level. If so, how much should(or should not) the front be up to keep the tail of the trans from hitting the ground ? Headers on or off ? Intake I hear is Off for chain clearance,but there is a sensor on the back that should come off ?
Ok let er rip ! This should at least put the answers in one spot for all to see. I keep getting asked about this and have not got all the info in my head yet.I think once I get to it that things will make sence,but for now due to not having a place to lock down me engine when it arrives....It needs to be in the car same day ! Thanx POOCH !

I personally dropped the engine with tranny in from the top. I jacked the car as high as I could, took off all the accessories from the engine including intake, spark ignitors, oil gauge sensor, and exhaust manifold. As I slid the engine in I used a jack to lift up the tranny to help navigate the engine in and just took my time. Total drop 1st time took about 2 hours.

I thought about lifting the car onto the engine, since that is what I did to get the engine out of the Camero, I decided to do it from the top since most of the subframes need a little help to mate up properly with the car frame and I did not want to struggle with the subframe/engine/tranny all the while getting it to line up properly, if that makes sense.

i personally like going up the skirt. i found it easier to attach the engine+trans to subframe and lay them on the legs of the engine hoist. then push the hoist under the car. attach the hoist and pull it up. ive done both a bunch of times.

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1988 rx7 lt1 t-56 (4sale)
1993 rx7 ls1 t-56


http://www.v8rx7forum.com/parts-ever...tml#post512675
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=800626

I dropped my LS1 and T-56 in from the top and it was actually very easy. I had the car on a lift (4-post, so I couldn't slide it in from beneath) so it was about a foot higher off the ground than it would have been if it was just resting on the ground. I don't think the transmission would have bottomed out, anyway, though. I actually had the front on jack stands and slightly higher than the rear, although now that you mention it, it probably would have been easier if I'd have jacked up the rear.

I took the shifter off and wrapped a towel around the end of the trans (so it wouldn't scratch the tunnel) and lowered it in. The tricky part is getting the trans into the tunnel while having the engine clear the front of the engine bay. I would say the key to success on this is definitely using a load leveler. It also helps if you have someone who can push the trans down while you're lowering it in, but that's not necessary. I did it alone and it took maybe 15 minutes (not exaggerating) to get the engine mostly in place. Getting the engine mounts lined up, though, was a different story. That took hours.

Intake usually needs to come off in order to clear the firewall lip. Plus, you might need to bash in the firewall to get it to fit at all. The oil pressure sensor on the top of the engine towards the rear can be broken pretty easily if you're not careful. I believe the LS2 has it mounted in the same spot as the LS1 so hopefully I'm not talking out of my ass. I didn't take mine off, but it seems like a reasonable precaution.

As for headers, I put mine on afterward since I have a lift and that makes it pretty easy. I don't think I've heard of anyone managing to lower the engine in with long tubes bolted on. I'm pretty sure it's not a problem if you pop everything in from below, though.

you can always drop the motor in from the top.....then bolt up the trans.......

went in from the top without a load leaveler. Had one person under the car and me aligning the top and pushing the engine in. Doing again I would do the same except use a load leveler.

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93 LS1 7

Here's how I did mine (my 14 year old son helped).

Attached Images

	My ASE Certified Specialist helping me.jpg (263.1 KB, 22 views)
	She is IN.jpg (363.4 KB, 18 views)
	Plenty of room.jpg (292.9 KB, 13 views)

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93 Silver FD w/68k original miles
Swap in progress - '06 LS2 w/ T56

"Remember, it's not the big that eat the small... it's the quick that eat the slow..."

This is why this forum is here....So I will be able to sleep at night ! Thanx for the response guys. Its nice to hear that it can go smoothly.I have read some scary words on other sites about 6am and having to give up ! It would seem its going to be more time getting the stuff all apart and the x member in place than the lowering of the Go Forward Goody ! Thanx again POOCH !

Whichever way you do it make sure you do it with the tranny attached. There is no reason to make life harder on yourself by having to install the tranny afterwards. Mine went in from the top with the tranny attached using a load leveler BTW.

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Chris Sanders
1991 Galant VR4 daily driver.
1993 montego blue FD swap project