
Originally Posted by
Reptile
There are basically two ways to do this. Out the top with the engine if you have a cherry picker....or out the bottom if you don't.
Out the top is pretty strait forward:
Drain coolant, and remove all the accesory parts such as the alternator, unbolt the A/C compressor, PS pump.
Take off coil packs, Manifolds & crossover, Then remove starter, take out the flywheel bolts and separate the transmission. (you don't necessarily have to do all of this, but it does make it easier and less cumbersome to remove them separately.) You can also remove a fully dressed engine, but again....less is easier to maneuver.
Out the bottom: BE VERY CAREFUL!
You must support the engine in some way or form. I have a support system specifically for attatching to the engine lift brackets, but others have used 4X4's and rachet straps. The important thing is to make absolutely sure you won't get squished! Then you must support the steering rack. Again, you can use rachet straps here, but you don't want to pull the steering shaft apart, because it's a PITA to reattatch it.
Put the car on jack stands high enough that you will be able to get under it comfortably.
Take the ball joints loose. Unbolt the two bolts holding the steering rack in, you will need to watch this, as the rack sits very snugly into the engine cradle, sometimes a large screwdriver or prybar will get this done easily.
Make sure that your steering lines are unbolted from the cradle, same thing with the tranny cooler lines. The trans lines will obviously need to be removed from the trans. Once you make sure that all the attatching hardware is removed from the cradle, then you and a buddy can lower it with a floor jack keeping it steady. Support the transmission with Jack, remove starter, flywheel bolts, unplug all the harnesses from the transmission. Remove all the transmission bolts, and again, make sure that everything is secured and the trans is supported fully. A little wiggling and a little prying will separate the two, and you should be able to start to lower the tranny. The torque converter has a little nub in the center that sort of sits in the flywheel, so make sure you have plenty of room to get them apart. Once you get the tranny lowered, you can slide it out through the wheel well fairly easy, and then start to reinstall it.
You will most likely need to re align the car again. When you get the subframe put back up, there are two slots in the front that you can use to try and get it back to where it was before, I have a long 3/8 extension I use to get it close, but it's pretty difficult to get it perfect. I'm also sure that I missed a few steps, but the key is keep it safe, and go at a slow pace. If you rush things, you're likely to miss something or worse hurt yourself.