Father's Day weekend was awesome! Not only did I get some thoughtful cards and gifts; but I got to put in some really productive work on my chevelle. It was, like, 9000 degrees... but I was determined to get it done. Especially since I've been wanting to get that engine and tranny out for about a month but haven't had time. I did learn one important thing, though: NO CHEAP HAND TOOLS! I broke a crescent wrench while working on the car and it generated an epiphany. In my moment of clarity, I realized that I have been buying these cheapo (i.e. GreatNeck) hand tools for years. Normally I wind up replacing wrenches and sockets every few months but it wasn't until this project that I've finally seen the light. From now on, it's only Snap On and Craftsman for me. But getting the engine out, wasn't that bad. The only real problem was that I wanted to pull out the engine and the tranny at the same time. So I first had to remove the drive shaft and set it aside. Then I took loose the transmission mounts. After that it took me a few tries to get the engine mounts loose.
Me and T had to wrestle with that joker to get it outbecause of the way the header piped was curled under. After a bunch of pushing and pulling, I broke out the sledge hammer and just broke the header pipes loose. After we did that, the engine and the tranny slid out the car like an old man in a warm bath. It was an awesome feeling! After we got it out, we strung it up like a giant whale on a fishing expedition to take some trophy shots. Check it out. 305V8, 350 Turbo Hydramatic transmission.
