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RRC engine and box removal


Bigj66

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Is it possible to remove the engine and gearbox out of a V8 auto without splitting them? Could the front panel/rad etc be removed to take them out through the gap if the ancillaries were removed first? 

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I put a 6 cyl VM with lt77 and lt230 into an '84 RRC.  The advantage with the older model is the bolted  front panel, saves having to drill out the spot welds.  I had a telescopic and 4 post lift to help.  A V8 should be easy it is shorter and a lot lighter.

Don't do what I did ... bend the heater pipes in the bulkhead and have to take out the heater for repair!

Edited by taurion
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5 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

Splitting them is very, very easy, do it and then you have less chance of killing yourself.

Is it just a case of unbolting the TC off the back plate? I want to keep the TC in place and not disturb it.

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One more question (before the next one 😁) - is it possible to keep the engine loom connected to the engine and disconnect it from the inside at the ecu plug removing it with the engine?

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1 hour ago, Bigj66 said:

One more question (before the next one 😁) - is it possible to keep the engine loom connected to the engine and disconnect it from the inside at the ecu plug removing it with the engine?

Yes it is.

Having recently removed a 3.9 with auto and BW in one, I’d say no. The reason no, is that it was just possible for us, as it was a parts car and we had cut out the front panel.

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cheers, Steve 

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11 hours ago, Bowie69 said:

As pointed out to me by Fridge, the Softdash ECU may well be integrated into the rest of the vehicle loom, and not come out by itself.

Possibly. It might be a case of painstakingly unwrapping the loom to split the ECU wiring out if that’s the case. The manual doesn’t indicate either way so I’ll have a look see under the bonnet later to see if there’s anything obvious.

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If you want to take the gear & transfer box off from underneath look in the RRC factory manuals & make up the bracket. Together they are big, heavy & unbalanced. (They're heavy & awkward separately so if you just want to remove a transfer box I'd suggest also making the special tool as it makes it a doddle)

You can leave the TC on the gearbox, you just need to undo the 4 bolts that hold it to the drive plate - accessed by removing the cover plate at the bottom front face of the gearbox & working through the circular holes you can see. 

The TC is pushed onto the gearbox input shaft & will quite happily slide off & fall on the floor whilst you are removing the gearbox. The manuals show putting it back on with the box horizontal. Whilst it works, it's an utter PITA as you are trying to get several sets of splines to line up & it's b*&&^% heavy! I suggest you remove the circular plate at the bottom of the bell housing & make up a 'T' shaped piece of steel with the long part of the T long enough to press on the front face of the TC & holes in the crosspiece of the T suitable to use a couple of the bolts that were in the circular plate. 2mm steel as thinner may well bend & the TC will then fall on the floor.......

If the TC does come off then it must be seated correctly on the gearbox as measured from a straightedge laid across the bellhousing mouth down to the front of any of the 4 bosses on the TC. If not, it may all bolt back together but you will split the box pump. No pump=no pressure=no drive & you get to take it all off again to fit a new pump.

ETA If you leave the box in situ & just remove the engine I'd also suggest the T tool to ensure the TC doesn't fall off!

Edited by paintman
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1 hour ago, paintman said:

If you want to take the gear & transfer box off from underneath look in the RRC factory manuals & make up the bracket. Together they are big, heavy & unbalanced. (They're heavy & awkward separately so if you just want to remove a transfer box I'd suggest also making the special tool as it makes it a doddle)

You can leave the TC on the gearbox, you just need to undo the 4 bolts that hold it to the drive plate - accessed by removing the cover plate at the bottom front face of the gearbox & working through the circular holes you can see. 

The TC is pushed onto the gearbox input shaft & will quite happily slide off & fall on the floor whilst you are removing the gearbox. The manuals show putting it back on with the box horizontal. Whilst it works, it's an utter PITA as you are trying to get several sets of splines to line up & it's b*&&^% heavy! I suggest you remove the circular plate at the bottom of the bell housing & make up a 'T' shaped piece of steel with the long part of the T long enough to press on the front face of the TC & holes in the crosspiece of the T suitable to use a couple of the bolts that were in the circular plate. 2mm steel as thinner may well bend & the TC will then fall on the floor.......

If the TC does come off then it must be seated correctly on the gearbox as measured from a straightedge laid across the bellhousing mouth down to the front of any of the 4 bosses on the TC. If not, it may all bolt back together but you will split the box pump. No pump=no pressure=no drive & you get to take it all off again to fit a new pump.

ETA If you leave the box in situ & just remove the engine I'd also suggest the T tool to ensure the TC doesn't fall off!

Thanks for the detailed reply and heads up about the TC. The engine and box will be going in my S3 🤞 and the Rangy shell and interior sold for parts so if possible I’d like to keep both together until I have the chance to trial fit them to the S3 chassis.

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