1970 LT1 Engine Installation

[James H.]

I am putting my LT1 back in my 1970 after a re-build. I have several questions and any tips / pictures, etc would be appreciated...

1) It is fairly easy to install in, with he transmission attached?

2) Should I attach the exhaust manifold and the lower portions of the ignition shielding while the engine is on the stand? (I would think the upper shielding and distributor may cause a clearance problem with the firewall?)

3) If I put the carburetor and associated brackets on before the engine installation, does that cause any problems?

Any help or step by step ideas, I would be grateful for.

Thanks

Jim

[Joe L.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

I am putting my LT1 back in my 1970 after a re-build. I have several questions and any tips / pictures, etc would be appreciated...

1) It is fairly easy to install in, with he transmission attached?

2) Should I attach the exhaust manifold and the lower portions of the ignition shielding while the engine is on the stand? (I would think the upper shielding and distributor may cause a clearance problem with the firewall?)

3) If I put the carburetor and associated brackets on before the engine installation, does that cause any problems?

Any help or step by step ideas, I would be grateful for.

Thanks

Jim

Jim------


1) It can be a little tricky to install the engine with the transmission attached. However, this is by far the best way to do it. Of course, you need to have the radiator and radiator support not installed and the hood completely off the car. You'll need an engine leveler so you can adjust the angle of the engine as you go through the installation;

2) I would install the exhaust manifolds after the engine is in the car. This is just about as easy to do with the engine in the car as with it on the stand so why potentially complicate things?

3) I would never install the carburetor and associated brackets prior to installing the engine. These are just as easy to install when the engine is installed as when it's on the stand so, once again, why complicate things and risk damage to these components during engine installation?

[Gary S.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

Without trudging down to the garage (got a houseful of grandkids right now), there is a booklet out there, How To Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy, that has some very helpful ideas including photos. This is what I used the first time I ever installed an engine in a Corvette. Joe's advice is spot on, of course.

With the transmission installed, and a load leveler, I still needed a second person to guide the transmission tail down into the engine bay. I have only done this twice, once on a SB 66 and once on a 73 BB but I used the booklet each time.

Gary

[Don L.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

Without trudging down to the garage (got a houseful of grandkids right now), there is a booklet out there, How To Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy, that has some very helpful ideas including photos. This is what I used the first time I ever installed an engine in a Corvette. Joe's advice is spot on, of course.

With the transmission installed, and a load leveler, I still needed a second person to guide the transmission tail down into the engine bay. I have only done this twice, once on a SB 66 and once on a 73 BB but I used the booklet each time.

Gary

You're good, Gary, only needing one other person's help and hands. To me, at least three people are optimal. Not only do you get three sets of hands to help re-install, you get 3 sets of eyes to help watch and guide it in. When I was involved in an engine/trans R & R, we had one operating the cherry picker, and one on each side to guide and watch the lowering into place. Additionally, and you may have come across this when removing the engine, it's a long reach for the cherry picker when approaching from the front of the car. To solve this, I have been part of a team that came in from an angle. We also laid a ridiculous amount of quilting and padded protection on the body in case of a minor mishap. Of course you can't protect against a major mishap.

Hope this helps.

[James H.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

Hi Joe,

Great information. The main reason I was asking about the exhaust manifolds, was because of the ignition and wire shielding. I am going from only having the portion surrounding the distributor installed on the car, to installing 100% of the shielding. There seems to be a lot of parts that come down along and underneath the exhaust manifolds and I though that might be a lot easier installing that while the manifolds were on the car, on the engine stand, than doing that all after the engine was installed?

Maybe I am not familiar with all that is involved to install that complete shielding, and maybe it is the large amount of individual pieces that comes with he full new kit I bough that is scaring me a bit?

All of the other you suggested makes perfect sense. I appreciate it!

Jim

[Larry M.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

James,

When I installed the LT-1 in our 1972, although the transmission had remained in the car, I had the plug wires, exhaust manifolds (with all shielding brackets and shielding attached to the proper exhaust manifold bolt) and rear vertical shielding installed. The distributor was not installed; the plug wires were labelled at the distributor end.

I did not look forward to installing the shielding, bracket, manifolds, etc, after the motor was in place. Your 1970 will have additional front shielding to install that 1972s do not.

Larry

[James H.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

Larry,

Do you remember where on the engine you attached the chains from the cherry picker? I would guess to the front of the engine somewhere and then towards the rear, but not too far in the rear as to have the chain come in contact with the firewall, when placing the transmission tail down to get it fed through the rear transmission cross-member. I am planning on pitting it in with the transmission on the engine and using one of those leveling bars to adjust to top the correct angle.

I do have a manifold lift plate, but I am not sure that the spread on the holes in that lift plat are wide enough for me to get the necessary transmission angle, with the adjusting bar?

Thanks

Jim

[Larry M.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

Jim,

The chain was attached with a bolt and some wide washers into threaded holes in the front of the driver's side cylinder head, and the rear of the passenger side head. We did not use a leveler. The intake manifold and carb and steel fuel line from the pump were not installed; I made the decision to leave those off till later because I didn't want the chain contacting the intake and possibly marking it, or coming into contact with the carb. The radiator and radiator support were out of the car.

Larry

[Gary S.]

Re: 1970 LT1 Engine Installation

You're good, Gary, only needing one other person's help and hands...

Hope this helps.

Don,
I guess luck is the word? Never having done it before and not having any experienced help we did what we had to do. When I was in the Air Force, one of our favorite phrases was "I would rather be lucky that good". Regardless, we went slowly, had issues with the reach of the arm, as others have stated, but it worked without any errors.