Can one change out an engine without removing the hood? I always remove the hood, of course it makes it way easier, but can it be done with the hood on? I've never seen anyone do this, just wondering.

If it helps, I have a '67 dart, contemplating pulling the slant and replacing with a 360 Magnum (I know, blasphemy...).

Thanks all,

Brian

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engine=yes
engine&trans=no

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 225 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170

yes. remove the Head for maximum Clearance between the Cherry picker and the opt of the block with the hood on.

I have done it that way a few times with the hood on.

If you use the factory littering device own the head then maybe not.

A 170 Would provide even more clearance.

Greg

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I used to change motors in my 66 with the hood on. I used a short chain and pulled it complete.

I pulled the Slant out of my 73 Duster with the hood on. Pretty sure I put the 340 in with it on too.

I'm too old to be pulling hoods by myself.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Thanks Guys, Greg are you sure I need to pull the head, or can I squeak by without doing so? I can be very careful and take my time, mm/minute if need be. No problem unhooking the tranny if that makes it easier, it would come out anyhow. Yeah, it took me some time to get that hood perfectly aligned, I'll avoid pulling the hood if doable.

I've not started this project, it'll be awhile before I get to it; I'm in the planning stage at this point...still pondering a 4 speed vs sticking with automatic (leaning toward automatic).

brian

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I pulled them with the head on and a chain bolted from the front of the head by the thermostat housing to the back bolt hole of the pair on top of the head. Hook the chain as short as possible. I always ended up with a rather nose up attitude. Lift up, pull forward, lift up a little more, pull forward, rinse, repeat.

I pulled motors out of the car that were still warm. I could do it in 45 minutes. Problem was I'd done it so many times I could do it in 45 minutes.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Your quote " way easier" seems like a key here.

I have pulled a lot of engines too and have never pulled one with the hood on! It sure seems like a lot of messing around to keep from re-aligning the hood. I like not having the hood in my road plus it allows more light into the engine bay. But to each his own. Good luck.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

If you have a helper, it is not hard to pull the hood. Just put alignment marks on the hinge/hood, before loosening any bolts.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 225 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170

If you don't want to pull the head you can always drop the oil pan and take the pickup tube off. You can probably gain as much or more clearance than pulling the head.

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There's no such thing as too much cam....only not enough engine!

Leave the hood on and pull the engine out the bottom. You don't skin the core support and you are probably changing to a V8 k-member and torsion bars anyway. Not that hard to do.

Mark

When I did the 225 in my 68 Valiant...I left the hood on. I could have taken it off...but why bother? I used a normal cherry picker and a fairly short chain and it cleared just fine. I put it back in the same way. Head and intake/exhaust were still in place.

I generally look at the latest fad of dropping the engine out the bottom as a lot of work for no good reason. It adds risk and complexity to what should be a simple operation.

Thanks all, I'll use the short chain technique.

Mark, I already changed over my '67 K-frame to the 73-'76 spool type for slant, and heavier torsion bars, steering box stabilizer bearing, Borgeson steering box, front sway bar (OEM type), so I'll not be pulling all that out anytime soon (though I am thinking about replacing the pot coupler with a universal joint while the slant is out). I'll use a Schumacher adapter for the 360 to the K-frame.

I built up the suspension towards the ultimate goal of having a v8 in it, 8.75 posi, heavier leaf springs, torsion bars, front and rear sway bars, front power disk brakes (rear 10" drums), 15 inch tires. The difference between when I got it (13 in tires, 9 inch drums all around, weak leafs, loose control arms, sloppy steering/handling) and now is amazing, it handles like a dream. I think the 360 and the slant weigh about the same, maybe some adjustments to the torsion bars with the swap. Still waiting on my frame connectors, the supply chain is way out of sorts with Covid.

Brian

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I would agree on scribing the hinges and removing the hood... I've done it with the hood on twice with my duster and once with the Aspen...(
the other 7 or 8 slant six engine swaps were done with the hood off...I also can say it's easier stabbing a big block assembly into a B and C body
is easier with the hood off as well...and with a tow truck handy...LOL)

I would never do it again in the F body as the jib of the engine crane hangs up on the thick lip of the front hood reinforcement... On the A-body
I would have a buddy handy as the jib can get caught on the hood latch loop during extraction...so you may have to force the hood up a bit
to get the crane backwards (works great on the late cars with loose hood hinges)...that being said... I also put an old towel or soft cloth to
cover the upper radiator mount flange behind the grill and slide a piece of 3/8" plywood under the oil pan as it drags past the flange...

I would just pull the hood if pulling the whole assembly (transmission and engine...since the slant 904 won't mate to the LA engine), you'll
just save time and keep from scraping up the under side of the hood too (I've never tried it with the late hood insulation pad in place...but
don't think it would survive the engine pick...)

Good luck!

Thanks, yes, I've scribed to mark the hinge positions on the hood, and that does help, but it doesn't "lock in" an absolute position for the hinges, there are more adjustments to get it just right. BTW, masking tape works better than scribes as it doesn't scratch the paint. It takes me maybe 20 minutes to get it right, but it's a pain in the ass, and I have to bug somebody to help me. A small thing, but if I can pull the motor without doing it, all the better. I'll gladly spend 20 more minutes to pull the motor, for me it's an easy trade off.

Brian

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A tip that has worked for me in the past is to drill a couple 1/8” holes through each hinge into the hood before the bolts holding the hood are loosened. When you reinstall the hood get everything in position then use drill bits or other 1/8” diameter object to line things up before tightening the bolts.

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1975 Dodge D100 225 c.i., HEI, Parallel Offenhauser, Motorcraft 2150, 904 auto, 9.25" 3.55:1