# Does the transmission have to come out to install an engine?



## Freddy_Krugerrand (Aug 19, 2012)

Got the old engine out of my 66 with 5 speed manual. It was a bit of a bear to get out and wondering if its worth trying to reinstall new engine with the transmission in place. Should I drop the trans or have anyone had success leaving the transmission in?

Both engines are 400's.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Freddy_Krugerrand said:


> Got the old engine out of my 66 with 5 speed manual. It was a bit of a bear to get out and wondering if its worth trying to reinstall new engine with the transmission in place. Should I drop the trans or have anyone had success leaving the transmission in?
> 
> Both engines are 400's.



*My Opinion*: 

Half-a-dozen of one and six of the other. Suspect the 5 speed is probably longer than a Muncie, so problems right there trying to angle the entire assembly enough to get it out/in the engine bay. 

You could separate them. Keep the distributor off until the engine is in. Have your pressure plate, clutch, & bell housing installed. Use the clutch alignment dowel to get the clutch in its correct position. You can do the throw-out bearing/clutch fork from underneath. Lower the engine in and bolt the engine mounts, but you need a little support under the engine pan to keep it somewhat level, but slightly angled so the trans does not hit the floor and you cannot get it up and in. I use a floor jack and a piece of 1/2" plywood between the jack and bottom of the pan so it spreads the weight out over the bottom of the pan. You don't want the lifting pad on the jack to damage/dent the pan with the weight of the engine pressing down on it.

If you are using headers, get them in place as you lower the engine down. Don't wait until the engine is bolted in - they may not fit on after bolting down the engine.

Your problem will be getting the trans up into position from underneath. With the proper jack, this is the best way. Trying to lift it manually off your chest might not be the way to go with a 5-speed. Used to do this with the Muncie's and 3-speeds, then press them up and into position. Using a floor jack they can get wobbly, so you need an extra helper to keep the trans stable. Once the trans is in place, you can then raise the jack under the engine just enough to get your trans crossmember into position and attach to the trans mount and then frame.

Then go about bolting all your goodies on. :thumbsup:

BTW. If you have a Tremec 5-speed, it is very important to make sure the transmission alignment is correct - square/aligned with the crank. You can use a dial indicator and you can find more info on the internet. If it is off, you can damage the bearings in the trans and have shifting problems. The old Muncies were a little more sloppy by design and forgiving is the alignment was a tad bit off. Not so on these tight tolerances of the newer transmissions. Sometimes you need to use an offset dowel pin - the ones you see on the back of the block - to get your correct alignment. 




Now _*if that looks a little complicated*_ or you don't want to purchase the needed tools (which would be cheaper than this tool), there is another method developed by *Browell Bellhousing*. I bought this myself for use with my Tremec 5-speed/455CI. I have yet to assemble the engine and/or trans, so have not used it. It does however, look a bit easier than the dial indicator method in determining the correct amount of offset. You might want to check this out: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hppp-1210-how-to-align-bellhousing/


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