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SRlew
09-07-06, 08:00 PM
lol sorry im back on the engine thing but this time i want to know about fitting the engine lol

i was hoping of fitting it on thursday, but my brother is in work now and we aint off on the same days now for a while and i dont want to wait.

is it possible for me to fit the engine by myself? or is that going to be difficult?

was thinking of dropping the engine and box into the bay and then maybe getting a trolley jack under the box to raise it up, then just place the engine/box mounts in and then bolt them on:confused: yay or nay?

would that work then? what do you lot do? and i take it most of you can do it by yourself. most of you know that iv never taken one out till now so this is my first time fitting one

help apprieciated

nov4801
09-07-06, 08:11 PM
id get some one to help ya mate thats knows what there doin. i had to put a new engine in mine and it took 5 of us to lift it and drop it in then bolt it all up

Rexy
09-07-06, 08:25 PM
f you have an engine crane your laffing, if not Well your gona have to get a few lads round. Its easy enough to do tho...

:thumb:

SRlew
09-07-06, 08:32 PM
yer i will be hireing the engine crane again. dont want to hire it for the day then find out i car nt do it myself and need it again like!

will i be able to do it?

R1CH
09-07-06, 08:34 PM
Yeah if you've got a crane then no probs, i managed to fit my LET & F28 by myself without any probs.

Lift car up & put engine inline with the bay ...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ricmetcalf/DSC00381.jpg

Lower car down over engine ...
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ricmetcalf/DSC00383.jpg

Lift engine up in to the bay, fit mounts then jobs a good'un !!
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y221/ricmetcalf/DSC00384-1.jpg

Rich

Rexy
09-07-06, 08:36 PM
As above, Its not hard fella. Oh and rich... thats an ace idea of putting some cardboard to protect the paint. Gona have to do that when i put my xe in.

SRlew
09-07-06, 08:37 PM
looking good budy!

will i be able to do it by myself if i lower the engine and box down in to the bay?

cheers, lew

R1CH
09-07-06, 08:47 PM
Dunno ? i've always found it easier lifting the car over the engine. If your carefull & tape plenty of cardboard to the bay to protect it then you should be ok, but its pretty tight lowering an XE & box down in to the bay especially by yourself !

Rich

Mike
09-07-06, 09:11 PM
I done my SR today as it happens, me and mate. So just the two of us.

Two trolley jacks with mucho woden blocks and a lot of house bricks, jacked up the shell and then a house brick under each axle stand with them on there highest setting. Job done in about an hour :thumb:

Then slid the engine in from underneath and lowered the car, then lifted the engine using the jacks to manover it into place. Piece of pish tbh.

Mike

Adam
09-07-06, 11:51 PM
Should be ok with a crane, same way Rich has done it.
How did you fit the rear gearbox mount? Jacked the car up whilst the hoist was holding the engine?

Last of the Novas-How did you lift the engine to get the jacks underneath? And where did you put the jacks? Not many places under the engine to put a jack?

Mike
10-07-06, 08:33 AM
Last of the Novas-How did you lift the engine to get the jacks underneath? And where did you put the jacks? Not many places under the engine to put a jack?

We jacked up the car, put it on axle stands, then lifted the car up even higher with a house brick under each axle stand, then put x2 trolley jacks, one under the gearbox with a wooden block between, and another under the sump bolt with another wooden block there :thumb:

jacked the engine into place, lifted shell, removed house bricks, lowered shell down onto stands and bolted engine in, then jacked up the rear mount and slid bolt it :thumb: hey presto.

Not back for an hours work lol

We also had the engine on a tool trolley, so we could move it about and get it right next to the car to start with :thumb:

Adam
10-07-06, 01:49 PM
Lol.

So the engine balanced on the sump without falling?

Mike
10-07-06, 01:56 PM
So the engine balanced on the sump without falling?

Yep, one jack under the gearbox and another under te sump pan. :thumb: Went in piece of pish

Stuart
10-07-06, 01:59 PM
In through the top. the mans way ;)

Austin_Nova16
10-07-06, 03:03 PM
So the engine balanced on the sump without falling?

put a 16v in a nova like that yesterday....went fine.


As for 'mans way' Stu.... thats two people lifting the front of the car up with another sliding the engine under on a trolley, then jack engine up. 10 mins max!
In from the top? Naaaahh

Mike
10-07-06, 04:32 PM
As for 'mans way' Stu.... thats two people lifting the front of the car up with another sliding the engine under on a trolley, then jack engine up. 10 mins max!
In from the top? Naaaahh

Ditto, my way you can do it with two people in around 20mins (took me and mike around 1 hour to bolt it all in the end!)

benji
10-07-06, 06:35 PM
how is going in the bottom the mans way???

is the engine not in yet!!! it take it you've managed to get the old one out?

125scouse
10-07-06, 07:09 PM
no way do you stick a nova engine through the top, making life difficult for yourself.

stick the box and lump all in one from the bottom, far easier.

Stuart
10-07-06, 07:17 PM
imho its no harder dropping it in from the top.....

saloonwoody
10-07-06, 07:25 PM
i did mine in the bottom ;)







sorry wrong subjectlol lol

SRlew
10-07-06, 08:07 PM
right realy dont knoiw what way to do it now.

ben, cheers for your help the other day buddy! yer got it out bout 4 hours after i spoke to you! lol
and not got it in yet, just been getting rid of the usual surface rust, fair amount of it, got to weld up the battery tray and a bit in the bay tommorow, get it painted then in on thursday and blasting round some back roads thursday evening/night hopefully.
if i get in any trouble ben i'll be on the blower to you mate lol

right i still need to hire an engine crane i recon just to get it round the front of me house, if im by my self anyway.
what else do i need to remove, to be able to put the engine in from bellow (lift it up into the bay)

and i will be doing it by myself unless your free on thursday day 125scouse? that way i wont have to hire a crane, save me some ?'s

Mike
10-07-06, 10:00 PM
in from below = x2 trolley jacks, x2 axle stands, x? house bricks to put under the trolley jacks/axle stands to a) get the car even higher and b) stop them sinking into your parents tarmac driveway :thumb: lol lol

*cough* i blame it on lurchio nova (aka Mike) *cough* lol

SRlew
10-07-06, 10:29 PM
right will look into doing it that way i took the engine out while it was on the road but putting it in i might leave it in me garden, will be hard though using your method as its a small garden with s**t flooring then a muddy part then the pavment (which i will use) try any way

pic here, where the xr2 is is where my car is at the min, will it be possible with that flooring mud etcl? lol

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/srlew/Mine2.jpg

Adam
11-07-06, 12:11 AM
You might have trouble trying to move the engine crane over rough ground, and it'll sink into mud,Lol.

Mike
11-07-06, 08:31 AM
have you got any slabs in the little garden? If so you may be sorted :thumb:

SRlew
11-07-06, 08:52 AM
yer its like the pavment, the we have like 1 1/2 - 2 ft of mud then the slabs, might pull some up from near the house and put them near the pavement, might work anyway,

id rather leave it in the garden putting it in so i can take me time you see.

its a b***ard because our back garden is massive! but we aint aloud cars round there (bloody neighbours!) and we'd have to knock down a fence lol

Mike
11-07-06, 08:57 AM
do it on the drive, fitting an engine with the car in the road could be very un-healthy for you and your sticking out legs! lol lol

SRlew
11-07-06, 09:03 AM
yer thats what i thought lol

will defo be doing it in the garden! well i hope i'll have enough room though.

Mike
11-07-06, 09:10 AM
if it comes to it and space is tight, take a little longer and keep the working area nice and tidy thus creating more room. Use the inside of your car to store tools and jacks etc that arnt being used. :thumb:

SRlew
11-07-06, 09:20 AM
yer i was doing that, but i was chucking all bolts, tools etc in the back lol
wish i didnt now, am going to have to be a bit more organised when fitting it i think lol

Mike
11-07-06, 09:35 AM
yer i was doing that, but i was chucking all bolts, tools etc in the back lol
wish i didnt now, am going to have to be a bit more organised when fitting it i think lol

Bugger, get a bucket or tin and put all the nuts/bolts and washers in there. Thats what i did and it worked out fine :cool:

I kept a bucket in the passenger foot well full of nuts and bolts etc etc

SRlew
11-07-06, 09:39 AM
good bloody idea! will get one out in a minute!

Mike
11-07-06, 09:49 AM
good bloody idea! will get one out in a minute!

ha ha lol cant beleive you didnt think of that Lew :D

-he-
11-07-06, 12:44 PM
as for the engine mounts (talking mk1 astra by the way)...how do you go about making sure you've welded them in the right place? because obviously mounts for a smallblock sr aren't going to work for a valver...

Mike
11-07-06, 12:46 PM
id cut the mount of the car, bolt it to the engine, put the engine inplace and mark out where the muont needs to be re-weld :thumb: and then proceed to weld it inplace

Adam
11-07-06, 02:07 PM
and we'd have to knock down a fence lol
I did at my house :D

Mike
11-07-06, 02:13 PM
I did at my house :D

Ha ha ha, i put my jack through the floor on my dads drive! He was not amused in the slightest :wtf: :mad: lol

-he-
11-07-06, 03:00 PM
id cut the mount of the car, bolt it to the engine, put the engine inplace and mark out where the muont needs to be re-weld :thumb: and then proceed to weld it inplace

hmm very nice! :thumb: thanks bud.

is there a courtney web site anywhere? i'd like engine mounts kit etc etc for a mk1 astra.

Mike
11-07-06, 03:06 PM
http://www.courtenaysport.co.uk/
http://www.regal-auto.co.uk/

magic! one step ahead my freind! lol lol

-he-
11-07-06, 03:10 PM
loverly job bud.

having trouble finding the kits though!

Mike
11-07-06, 03:16 PM
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nova-2-0-XE-LET-SE-engine-conversion-mount-set_W0QQitemZ320002773429QQihZ011QQcategoryZ10404Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

magic! Brownie points for michael lol lol :D

-he-
11-07-06, 03:50 PM
nicely done once again!

I'm talking about a Mk1 Astra though dude, that auction says for a nova? Although I know they're very alike.
I've also found that the mounts on the astra don't need modifiying?

Mike
11-07-06, 03:55 PM
Oh course yeah, youve got a Mk1 Astra havent you! Sorry mate!

SRlew
12-07-06, 09:13 PM
fook me i am getting well angry now. finshed work, got home went straight out to spray the bay and yes it starts raining, just been out again to finish it and again it starts raing while im spraying it, so it looks fookin s**ty didnt want the best job but still!! bloody rain!

then rolled the car out of the garden to turn it round ready for the fit in the morning, started turning it in the road and ooops the steering lock came on lol

so now its in the garden the right way round, and iv just finished paint the bay sort of, will look better than it did so meh...and it aint no sow car!

Mike
13-07-06, 08:36 AM
Sweet Lew. Got mine started lasted after spending about an hour mating the 1.0 loom into the 1.4 loom.

Nowhere near as bad as i thought, but my manifold to system joint is blowing mega! Sounded like a v8 muscle car (much to the disapproval of my neighbours at 9.30pm) lol lol

And we wired the starter motor up wrong so went to turn it of and it didnt! Had to pull the plug on the coil pack lol lol lol

SRlew
13-07-06, 11:50 AM
lol some classic problems there mate! lol

my brothers exhaust fell off on the motor way once, from the manifold, we drove to devon with it like that, fook me never again!! was sooo loud.

right iv got the hardest part done, getting the engine out of the shed and its now ready to crane it round to the front, and pop it in, and hopefully be drivable later this evening.

Mike
13-07-06, 12:09 PM
sweet mate! The legendary test drive!

Just spoke to baxter on MSN, all i got was "ITS ALIVE, ITS ALIVE" then a message saying the engines in and running! lol pmsl lol

SRlew
14-07-06, 06:17 PM
right its all in and connected up but it wont turn over??????

SRlew
15-07-06, 06:31 PM
i went in the mans way! from above

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/srlew/Picture015.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y217/srlew/Picture016.jpg

also had a drunk walk past saying 'fooking hell lad its mint that, not a drop of oil on it lad' and then when he walked past with his bottle of white lightening he said 'ay lad its gunna spin like fook that lad!' then shook my hand and wounderd off lol

Adam
15-07-06, 06:41 PM
Nice one :)
Did it go in ok through the top?

SRlew
15-07-06, 06:59 PM
yer it did actually, every one got me depressed, as you where all saying go in from the bottom etc.

only had one problem witch was, trying to line up the passenger side mount, tried it for a while, then gave up on that one, and done the driver side one in about 1min then the passenger one just slipped into place,

was well impressed, done it all by myself. and was my first conversion.

was outside for just over 13hours with out a brake. so im still knackerd afer a couple of days