[JohnnyC]

hey guys, just need a little adive about pulling my motor. I was eyeing it up today, and am wondering if its possible to pull the motor from the car while leaving the headers on? I have a 76 T/A. It looks like after i remove all the accessories, i will be able to get to the mounts pretty easy, at least on the passenger side. The reason I want to remove it with the headers is because my headers are so very difficult to get on and off, in fact, it seems like it will be easier to pull the engine than remove the headers. any opinions/advice is appreciated. Thanks

[Jeff Walker]

I think you will have about a 98% chance of NOT being able to pull the engine with the headers on the engine.

[GoatDr]

The best way is to remove the header bolts at the heads and leave the collectors bolted up and lift the motor out. Then just drop the engine back in on the headers when done. I always put the headers in first, then the engine.

[JohnnyC]

Jeff,
So I am guessing the headers will be too much in the way to pull my motor? It looks like it will come out on the pass side, so i'm guessing its the driver side that will cause the problem?

[Jeff Walker]

It all depends on what kind of headers you have but I think you will have a problem with the tube(s) clearing the rear lower control arm mounting area when you start lifting the engine up and out.

[JohnnyC]

thanks for the reply. I was hoping it would be different. yes, the headers on the car are 4 tube and and junk, have been nothing but trouble, and now it sounds like they will be giving me one more kick in the pants because i'm confident it will be harder to remove these headers then it will be to remove this motor.

[76 Badbird]

I just pulled mine 2 weeks ago and I use the Tri-y headers and I had to remove them. There just was not enough clearence on the driver side. What you can do is pull it up off the mounts and then connect them and finish putting it down at that time. I put a 2x4 on each of the mounts to hold the motor off and connected the headers then. That was before the tri-y headers, now I can slide them in with out moving the motor their great.

[Bad Karma]

Dont forget to Remove the distibutor. IIRC I had pulled A few motors out of my 72 abody with headers BUT I just checked and your talking a TA so I have no advise other than take atleast the cap off if you have an HEI. I broke a cap Thats why Im telling ya. Best of luck!
Cheers!

[JohnnyC]

thanks for the info. and yes, i'll be removing the entire distributor, its going to be resued in my 455. As for the rest of the engine, its beat up and junk, and are the headers, my only goal is to get it out of the bay as easy as possible, and forget about it.

[crkoester]

If that's the case, I'd get a reciprocating saw with a long blade and do a slice and dice job on the headers before pulling the engine. With a little imagination it might not be too hard to just cut them out, and definitely easier than unbolting them.


Chris

[form406]

its easier to dent/bend attached headers...remove them from the motor and leacve them attached to the exhaus tand cut the flanges it makes things way easier and use the right bolts..i can bolt my headers on in an hour easy...careful not to crush them on the way back in...

[ChrisTransAm78]

On my 78 there is no way to do it w/o removing them...

[Tim Corcoran]

Johnny
I am sure we all would love to do what you are wishing you could do. Even Hodini couldn't remove the engine in a Pontiac without disconnecting the headers from the heads.

Tim C

[JohnnyC]

Alright guys,,, it sounds pretty bleak after reading all of that info. So i will probably, well maybe, try to saw the damn things off, and then pull. Also, i just thought of this,,,, what if i just remove the passenger side header, will that give me enough leway to manuever the motor out?