Engine + Trans Removal - from below

[spitsnaugle]

Hi all,

I recently added a four post lift to my garage, looking to drop the engine out of my FRS, ideally from below.

Has anyone done it with a four post?

Is there any good way to get the steering rack and sway bar out of the way?

With a two post lift, I'd just drop suspension and all at once, but with my four post- i've got 44" between to work with.

I havent done too much research/digging under the car yet, but will post my progress and learnings if no one else has info.

[spitfire481]

pull the trans from underneath, then yank the motor out from the top. super easy

[ermax]

Yeah for sure go out the top. It's crazy easy. You don't even need to drop the tranny. Just throw a jack under the tranny to hold it up, then unbolt it and move the engine forward to free it of the tranny and it lifts right out. You don't even need to remove the radiator to get enough space to move it forward and free of the tranny. It's by far the easiest engine pull I've ever done. If you go out the bottom you would be in for a lot more work. I assume you would have to unbolt suspension and all that which also leads to an alignment.

[rice_classic]

I was looking at the bottom of the car it looks like the suspension wouldn't be in the way (thank you Macpherson) and the subframe for sway bar and other subframe look crazy easy to remove.

Still curious about this though because it's applicable to my interests. I don't have room in my garage for an engine crane and once I'm racing I won't have room on the trailer for an engine crane so an 'out-the-bottom-solution' is needed should I need to pull the engine at the race track (which happens).


The sway bar subframe is circled in yellow and the adjoining black cross brace (Engine cradle?) would need to be pulled. But the engine is in front of the steer rack and looks to clear the lower control arms so it doesn't appear there would be any real difficulty going out from the bottom. Always looking for feedback from someone who's done this.

[ermax]

I’ve only gone out the top so I’m not sure what would be involved but one thing that is a pain going out the top is the AC lines don’t like to bend and to get the compressor clear your on the verge of bending the lines to their limit. Going out the bottom would avoid that. Being a boxer you wouldn’t need all that much clearance under the car to do it. I have this brace thing that rests across the engine bay and has cables that hang off the brace that you can tie to the engine to support it while the subframe is removed. That would be handy for lowering the engine to the ground vs using a jack.

It would be cool if you could use a trailer as sort of a lift. Like wench the car up onto the trailer and then lift the trailer enough to be able to climb under it and access the car from bellow.

[Spuds]

Originally Posted by ermax

It would be super dangerous if you could use a trailer as sort of a lift. Like wench the car up onto the trailer and then lift the trailer enough to be able to climb under it and access the car from bellow.

Fify. If the car we're level and chocked it might be ok to shift that weight around when supported by springs. Add the angle and the trailer and you are getting into real sketchy territory.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by Spuds

Fify. If the car we're level and chocked it might be ok to shift that weight around when supported by springs. Add the angle and the trailer and you are getting into real sketchy territory.

I’m talking about fabricating a trailer that could be used as a lift. Not just a standard trailer. You could have hydraulic rams on all 4 corners and lift it up on a good surface perfectly level. I’d rather do that than climb under a car that is on 3ft high jack stands while yanking around trying to separate the engine from the tranny.

[BrZ_Good]

Me and my amateur gang of dudes are having a hard time getting the engine back in. It’s hard to lean this motor back while aligning with trans and motor Mount holes. We absolutely destroyed my input shaft bearing with the shaft🥺probably gonna drop the trans out of the bottom, reattach and stick in back in the top

[Ultramaroon]

How I support the engine with a tie-down strap when removing the transmission

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by ermax

I’m talking about fabricating a trailer that could be used as a lift. Not just a standard trailer. You could have hydraulic rams on all 4 corners and lift it up on a good surface perfectly level. I’d rather do that than climb under a car that is on 3ft high jack stands while yanking around trying to separate the engine from the tranny.

They have lift trailers. Not what you are talking about but they are pretty cool.

Originally Posted by BrZ_Good

Me and my amateur gang of dudes are having a hard time getting the engine back in. It’s hard to lean this motor back while aligning with trans and motor Mount holes. We absolutely destroyed my input shaft bearing with the shaft🥺probably gonna drop the trans out of the bottom, reattach and stick in back in the top

There is an app for that.

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-qu...QaAqk7EALw_wcB