[Barrier Blue]

When I got my '66 GTO I didn't have a cherry picker, so we pulled the 326 2bbl. engine the redneck way. We pulled the front clip, disconnected everything from the engine, hooked a chain to it, and yanked it right out the front with a pickup truck. This isn't meant as advice btw.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Removing the hood risks scratching/damaging it & surrounding panels. Don't know why you would risk it when it does not need to removed to remove the engine.

And hitting the hood with the cherry picker and banging the tops of the fenders or core support with the oil pan isn't a risk?

[Old Goat 67]

When I do that, pulling the hood AND the hinges are my first steps.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Removing the hood risks scratching/damaging it & surrounding panels. Don't know why you would risk it when it does not need to removed to remove the engine.

Laying 2 pieces of 4X4 (or a combination of 4X4s and 2X4s) on the cowl between the back of the hood and the cowl largely minimizes it sliding rearward. Your able to rest the back of the hood on the 4X4s and then either lift it off from the front, or if you have 2 people just carry it to the roof, etc. Paint damage is done when the hood slides rearward and/or cocks to one side contacting fenders usually. Stacking wood behind it makes it impossible for it to slide rearward.

If your doing it by yourself, I use whatever I'll be lifting the engine out with to hold the front of the hood up while removing hinge bolts hooked to the safety catch. With the hood resting on the 4X4s I just lower the front of the hood down while it pivots on the top edge of the hood hinges, and grab it from the front and lift it off, reverse procedure to install.

Working around the hood while removing the engine just complicates the whole job further IMO.

The hood never gets near the fenders or windshield, no damage. I've removed/installed dozens of hoods by myself using this method, no damage ever. There you go, how to remove a hood without contacting any other body parts.

[Geoff]

Chief,
A bit of common sense should prevail. Have some cardboard, towels, etc handy. I would think somebody removing an engine would have these items on hand....

Sirrotica,

You can take all the car in the world removing the hood, but it doesn't need to be removed on a 66 to remove the engine, so why risk it??

[Sirrotica]

You can pull the oil pan off of a Pontiac V8 in chassis in a 66 A body too. Anyone that has done the exercise will tell you it's a miserable job in chassis because of the obstacles in the way, plus oil dripping on your head. You don't have to remove the exhaust, leave a few wires on, leave the bellhousing and torque convertor attached, but it's much harder in chassis working around obstacles. Never having to worry about scratching fenders or hood because of removing the hood or even pulling the engine at all. You won't save any time or effort overall. Is that the way you'd approach that job also? Does that make sense to you?.....

Recommending to someone to make a job more difficult because they "might" scratch something is not logical/rational in the automotive field. You're fearing something that in all probability is never going to happen with normal care. Making a difficult job easier is most peoples goal when doing automotive work, not making the effort more intensive by trying to work around obstacles.

I have a family member that fears irrational things too, like being robbed while driving on the interstate. Why drive somewhere to visit family, when you can stay home and feel safe, so why risk it? In their mind they're doing the logical thing, to most people they're fearing something that odds are, isn't going to happen........

It's about risk to rewards, but the way some people do the math is different..................

[400 4spd.]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Chief,
A bit of common sense should prevail. Have some cardboard, towels, etc handy. I would think somebody removing an engine would have these items on hand....

Sirrotica,

You can take all the car in the world removing the hood, but it doesn't need to be removed on a 66 to remove the engine, so why risk it??

If you think THAT"S risky, get this - we also drive on the other side of the roads.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

You can pull the oil pan off of a Pontiac V8 in chassis in a 66 A body too. Anyone that has done the exercise will tell you it's a miserable job in chassis because of the obstacles in the way, plus oil dripping on your head. You don't have to remove the exhaust, leave a few wires on, leave the bellhousing and torque convertor attached, but it's much harder in chassis working around obstacles. Never having to worry about scratching fenders or hood because of removing the hood or even pulling the engine at all. You won't save any time or effort overall. Is that the way you'd approach that job also? Does that make sense to you?.....

Recommending to someone to make a job more difficult because they "might" scratch something is not logical/rational in the automotive field. You're fearing something that in all probability is never going to happen with normal care. Making a difficult job easier is most peoples goal when doing automotive work, not making the effort more intensive by trying to work around obstacles.

I have a family member that fears irrational things too, like being robbed while driving on the interstate. Why drive somewhere to visit family, when you can stay home and feel safe, so why risk it? In their mind they're doing the logical thing, to most people they're fearing something that odds are, isn't going to happen........

It's about risk to rewards, but the way some people do the math is different..................

Well said ^ ^ ^

[66sprint6]

No big deal. Try it with the hood on and if it looks like you might damage something, then take it off.

[Geoff]

Odds, irrational, risky?

Do so if you wish, but there is simply no need to remove the hood to remove the engine from a 66 GTO. End of story.

[Chief of the 60's]

I now check out this thread for my daily lol.

For that reason and the OP got his advise, this thread should be closed before it gets really rediculous.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Odds, irrational, risky?

Do so if you wish, but there is simply no need to remove the hood to remove the engine from a 66 GTO. End of story.

Let me refresh your memory here. These are your own words from an earlier post:

Removing the hood risks scratching/damaging it & surrounding panels. Don't know why you would risk it when it does not need to removed to remove the engine.

Odds are, removing the hood isn't going to be detrimental to paint health, which you alluded to previously, as long as reasonable care is used.

Irrational, is the fear you seem to have over causing paint damage by simply removing a hood. If someone has the tenacity to remove an engine, and they have enough faith in their own abilities to tackle the job, they damn sure should be able to remove a hood without causing paint damage.

Risk, from your own words. Risk versus reward, the way to make logical decisions based on facts, expediting an efficient operation.

Removing the hood just makes the entire operation easier, why make it more difficult? It's already a operation no one gets great joy from performing.

It can be done, that isn't up for debate here, the question is, why would someone make an already difficult job more difficult by leaving an obstruction in place that can readily be removed with average care in 5 minutes? This gains superior accessibility to the work area. Also having to deal with crane clearance while lifting the engine straight up with a hood hanging over the work area at a 45 degree angle.

What happens if someone doesn't have a engine crane? They are removing the hood anyway.

Are you indicating someone try this lifting the entire engine/transmission out as an assembly, or just the engine? Removing both units as a whole unit probably won't work out well, IMO. The OP never stated what he was trying to remove (just engine, or engine/transmission as an assembly).

Lots of things can be done at a loss of efficiency. Leaving a hood on while removing an engine isn't the most efficient/expedient way to perform an engine removal. For ease of performing the operation, especially if the OP would be removing the transmission with the engine, remove the hood. Leaving the hood on is like adding a Rubik's cube to the job, why don't you just solve this puzzle while your removing the engine? Maybe it's as simple as, which way water circles the bowl before it goes down?

Now it's, the end of story.......

[Geoff]

Odds? Reasonable care? Um, things still get damaged when reasonable care is taken....It is called an accident. Why risk an accident when there is no need to take the risk?

I don't need my memory refreshed, thanks, because I remember what I said: there is no need to remove the hood on a 66 GTO to remove the engine.