Hoisting an inline 6

I haven't hoisted an inline 6 but have V8 many times. A chain works great. I've connected the chain to an intake manifold bolt - replaced it with a longer one.

You can pull the engine and tranny together or separate. Together usually has problems trying to get the engine over the rad frame and the tranny jams at the firewall. The engine/tranny has to tilt at quite an angle. You can buy a hoist accessory that will allow you to keep the engine level or tilt it.

Have you tried > Hi,

The six in my old '74 Nova had a pair of lifting rings on it. One bolted to the head on the rear near the firewall and the other one was on the front of the head.

Don't have to use a head bolt just bolt the chain to a couple of the empty holes in the head. You can pull everything together BUT it isn't light. Make sure you have a place to put it.

Chain works fine, but I highly recommend an engine tilter, especially if you're doing the combined engine/trans. If you scrounge around some boneyards, you should be able to find some factory hoist loops - bolted to the intake at opposite corners.

If you're pulling it with the trans, drop the driveshaft at the rear yoke first, then pull the drive yoke out of the tailhousing. Pick up a plug for the tranny tailshaft (or a spare splined yoke from a boneyard) or you'll end up draining the trans all over the floor when the combo's tilted.

Check, double-check, then triple-check that all hoses, speedo cable, ground straps, exhaust, wiring, tranny linkage, etc. are all disconnected before undoing the engine and tranny mounts - nothing worse than getting the engine up 3-4" and having it hang on something still connected. While you're jacking it out, if you encounter any resistance, stop and check it out to see what's hanging. I once saw a guy destroy a vintage shift linkage because he just kept going.......

Chains are fine. My buddy and I have been using the same chain forever on our project cars. Combined weight of your engine and trans is probably around 600-800 pounds. Not sure how much the 6 weighs, but my crate smallblock was 450 pounds and a TH350 is about 150-200 pounds when full of fluid. I've never weighed a manual trans either...

Like the other guys said, find the factory lift points - they'll look like a piece of bar stock with a 3/4" hole or something bolted to each side of the engine. If not, you can use a headbolt, but I'd probably use a bellhousing bolt and an accessory drive bolt instead. If you want to pull the engine and trans together, you might need to remove the hood to get enough clearance.

My biggest tip: Don't rush. Especially if it's the first time. Disconnect everything, and then check again. On an old Nova like yours there's not that much stuff to disconnect, but there's still lots - fuel lines, shift linkages, etc.

Also, you'll need the car up in the air to disconnect the driveshaft and stuff, but make sure it's not too high - or you might find the oil pan doesn't want to clear the radiator.

It's also hard to have too many helpers for this. Even if they're just an extra set of eyes.

Oh... and never stand on the cowl to guide the transmission out. My buddy had to buy a new windshield for his Nova after putting his behind through it.

Ray

I agree with the other posts on double and triple checking all the hoses and cables. I was hoisting my 2.3l out of my Ranger and one of the cables snagged on the other side of the engine. I hoist a little and stop and check all around as I was alone. But I still managed to pull a wire out of a connector that snagged as I was lifting. Fortunately, because I was taking my time, all I had to do was push it back in the connector.

Right down everyth> Chain works fine, but I highly recommend an engine tilter, especially if

All good advice... I might suggest pull the radiator out before removing the engine, Since you have to remove the hoses anyway it's just a mater of a few bolts, better than having to by a new radiator Cheers, Roger

Another tool which might be handy is one that allows you to lock the angle of the motor as you lift it and also allows you to control the angle as you lower it in. My mechanic has such a thing and it really makes it easier to raise and lower the motor. Wherever you purchase the engine hoist should also have this tool.

My mechanic often leaves the transmission in the car, supporting the front of the bellhousing so its' angle stays constant when the motor is removed.

You could use a headbolt to fasten the chain or one of the exhaust/intake manifold studs.