rebuilt 12a block going in this weekend up in the Wilds of Alaska. Outdoors. on my gravel pad. On my own (well, wife in a pinch).
Have a hoist, engine comp stripped, tranny still in. Got it OUT on my own, but ideas and tricks so things like doing this so I don't damage pilot bearing, etc. appreciated!

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

Use the Force and say a prayer to the Rotary Gods!

Seriously, You'll be fine, slow and steady, use some finesse and leave the hammers in the box. Don't forget to post your documentary video of the process. We want to see!!!

 

Take the gearbox out and either attach it to the engine, or put it after the engine.
I was facing the same dilema doing mine by myself. In the end i elected to bolt the trans up to the engine out of the car and then shoe horn the whole shebang back in together. Was easy, just go slow, use a load leveller.

 

I agree with this, so much easier to align the pilot shaft and make sure the clutch lines up too cause you can SEE everything. Thats why when i pull the engine, i like to yank the trans with it, its only 3 extra steps really

 

definitely need a leveler. also did it myself in my garage with the tranny attached but i did not have gravel as an obstacle. good luck.

 

Did it myself with the tranny still in.
A leveler helps by all means.
Left the hood on and went in from the side.
Take if very slowly. Drop a fraction, back a fraction.
When it was close enough I put in long bolts from the tranny side to act as guides. One at the starter, one top right.
Kept checking top, bottom, left and right, to assure the rear iron and tranny faces were parallel.

It can be done, but takes some time.

 

I always do engine installs and removal by myself. I always leave the tranny in the car. I always go in from the side. I don't use a leveler. Works fine every time.

I can't imagine doing it any other way at this point.

 

Oh, and I had a jack under the front of the tranny to help aim the two together.
When it was about 1/2 inch apart I inserted the bolts and tighten in the wheel lug-nut pattern.

 

Floor jack under the bellhousing too.

 

in the gravel? seems hard to roll the hoist around. anyone want to address this? Plywood or MDF? Or just leave the hoist stationary and move the 7 int position?

 

I tried the side... I don't like going in from the side. My fenders don't like me going in from the side


And gravel, grass, whatever as long as you aren't the owner of the hoist its all good with a couple of ratchet straps


I like to have the wife present (if not just to make her annoyed) but to stand by with the 19mm socket to jiggle the front bolt back and forth when I get it all lined up.

 

Doing it on grass or gravel is nuts. I can't imagine.

 

No choice* just gotta do what you gotta do.


*One can argue my life choices lead me to a house without a paved driveway or place to park my car, but that's just semantics.

 

If you install the engine with the trans in place, yeah - jack or wood blocks under the bell housing. There's a flat section that you can use to keep the trans sitting level side to side and slightly tilted up to help with alignment to the pilot bearing.

I hope you didn't overdo the lube on the pilot bearing or you'll get hydraulic lock when you try to mate them. Just get the pilot bearing greased and put the rubber grease seal in place, then swipe your finger inside and remove ALL excess grease.

Once mated up, if you have any trouble getting the engine close enough to the trans bolts to start, grab the biggest pair of pliers (adjustable preferred) and from the passenger side, clamp the trans boss and the engine ear on that side into the pliers to pull them together. This leverage works to overcome hydraulic lock, too.

Go slowly, and good luck. Take your time, and don't rush it,

 

OK - wow - thanks all (even Banzai) for the advice here.
Stupid Qs:
1) "load-leveler"?
2) "from the side" ?? meaning TOP load over the fenders I assume
- pic: I have most of the front off the car so thinking "front" would be best...

yeah-gravel is less than ideal, but I run the whole she-bang over a pair of 4x8 plywood sheets.

I recall someone mentioning detaching the driveline and allowing the tranny to tilt up more to "meet" the engine. Presume this will also dump out some of the oil in the TX as well?

LongDuck: really pliers?? huh. would think they would have NO leverage on such a small interface.
will keep that in mind. yes! re: overlube of pilot! thx
Qingdao:
"stand by with the 19mm socket to jiggle the front bolt back and forth when I get it all lined up."
-ow, good one!

Was thinking of dropping the BARE block in so not a lot of unwieldly (ie heavy) attachments, since these can be added once block in place.
Thoughts on dropping exhaust from hangers so I can lever it more easily to the back of the reactor?
More?? gimme...

THANKS EVERYONE- last rotary I dropped in was my .... R100 10A block (yeah, I am THAT old...). I could just about lift that one in!
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

1)Like this:

It helps tilt the engine+transmission.

2) Having all the front end off will make this super easy since you can get the cherry picker as close as you want. You shouldn't even need the leveler.

No intake or exhaust on the engine will make it easier still since nothing sticks out to hang on anything.

Like some replies above, I did my last engine from the side so I didn't remove the hood. A jack under the transmission will help get everything aligned. Comically, I was standing in the engine bay guiding the engine and my foot on the jack handle slowly raising the bell housing.

 

Hey, I do what I can.....BTW, I hope you've taken advantage of the situation to clean some of those inner engine bay nooks and crannies. Having your mirrors folded back like that should help streamline the whole process.

 

Did you plasti-dip the front clip white to protect the paint? Why is it white? I know your car is red.

 

There are so many flat and semi-flat hard surfaces in the world...

 

To 7aull

With that set up go in from the front.
Jack under the bell housing.
2x6's on the gravel where the hoist lift wheels will travel, tied together with 3/4" plywood.
Slide it in, lower, back, lower, back, adjust the tranny till you get the two lined up, then its down & back in small increments.

That is what I would try in your situation.

 

Its SA #2, pining away under a cover while me and the Mistress (SA #1) have been playing ever summer... a leisurely 2+ yr engine rebuild didn't help...
The white is primer. After getting her roadworthy, new paint I hope.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

Fellow Rotorheads-
NICE! some fab tips here. Thanks for the "Leveler" clarification j_tso. I do not have one...
Banzai, mirrors folded to reduce air resistance when catapulting chassis up under engine hoist ! ;D

I also reached out to the good folk at PineAppleRacing in Oregon, and owner Rob Golden was kind enough to add these nuggets of engine install wisdom as well, which I pay forward here:
---------------------
Rob's suggestions:
"If you jack the trans up until it touches the tunnel it means you only have one moveable item. Make sure to put the trans into 4th to help hold the input so when you rotate the engine if necessary to get the clutch to line up, again, only one item is moving.

Do not install the front engine mount yet.

Make sure you have the long fully threaded bolt holding the rear engine hook. This acts as a guide during engine install.

It can be helpful if you have spare bolt(s) to use as guide pins. The trans to engine bolt under the starter is a good length. I cut the head off the bolt and then grind a slot so If snug, a screwdriver will remove it.

Trying to install the engine and exhaust (at the same time) on a thermal reactor car is very difficult. The exhaust will never be where you want it. If you are lucky enough to have had the exhaust studs unthread from the back of the reactor, then you can leave the exhaust just the way it is and install it after the motor is fully sitting in place. If not, either pull the exhaust to the side after unbolting at least the exhaust mount to the trans(the most rigid of the mounts). Frequently easier to unbolt the most of it. Sorry this got longer than intended, just don't worry about installing the exhaust at the time you install the engine. Doing this single handed is extremely difficult. Use gasket sealer or similar to hold the aligning/sealing ring into the back of the reactor. BTW, I have the front down pipe gaskets in stock.

"If you install a complete engine with intake/exhaust, it will be very heavy on the pass. side. Use something to tie the engine level. I have used wire, a motorcycle tie down, whatever works. I go around the thermostat housings to the chain on the hoist.

Make sure the engine is hanging flywheel down about 3 degrees when fully supported on the hoist. This should get you to the angle of the trans when it is wedged against the tunnel.

The "stabbing" will be pretty easy. Once the engine is on the trans fully, install a few trans to engine bolts by hand. Install the front motor mount by hand and fully lower the engine onto the motor mounts. Now install the exhaust while you can still get a little movement from the engine if need be. Tighten the trans bolts first, then the motor mount bolts, then the exhaust.

Since you are going to install the intake, later, you might just want to wait on the reactor also. That way it is a very easy drop in. You can use the M8 threaded hole on the top of the center rotor housing to mount an engine hook. I take a front hook and put a 90 degree bend at the base. That hole is the perfect balance point.

Once the engine is on the trans with a few bolts snugged up, lower the jack under the trans and ft. motor mount install the ft. motor mount plate. Drop the engine in place. Installing the reactor onto the head pipe is easy, then install on the engine and tighten all the fasteners. Tighten the motor mount bolts and exhaust fasteners and mounts. -Rob"
----------------------

Just waiting for the #!$%^&*! rain to stop so I can begin. Will keep checking back for more ideas. Maybe if we can keep this up it may be a nice archive for us backyard (in my case, literally!) wrenches.

Thanks again to all here on this great Forum... suspect NEXT thread will be on how to start the damn thing. But one step at a time!

Stu Aull
80GS(s)
Alaska

 

Take special care aligning the clutch disc before bolting down the pressure plate. I've done a lot of these (one of my cars is boosted, so I've blown up a few). When the alignment is right, the engine slides in almost effortlessly. If not, it will require bolts to mate them.

If you can tilt the engine so the eccentric shaft is vertical before aligning the clutch disc, it's much easier to get it right.

 

Put the transmission in neutral and leave it in the car with a jack under it. Mating the engine to the input shaft spline is pretty easy if its in neutral. Put a sheet of cardboard or plywood over the radiator fins. Also use this time to scrub the engine bay. Install the engine cross mount after getting the engine in place (mated to the trans) as opposed to before.

 

Elwood - I have the engine on a stand, so will install clutch vertically! thanks
NCross - hmm. I am getting conflicting suggestions here re Tranny. Pineappleracing folk suggest 4th gear so tranny shaft stays fixed while sliding on engine...? Rad will be fine as I removed it. Thank you guys!!!

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska