"Temporary" TR rear subframe w/axle, ANYONE??

I would take the engine and gearbox out the top myself. Afterall the 512M (and maybe 512TR) have to come out the top since the frame is different - one piece like the boxer. With the forward panel off and the deck lid off the engine has plenty of room to fit out and that solves rolling it around.

 

I concur with NEWMAN....if I ever do another TR service, I'm pulling the lump out the top. To do this, you will have to possibly remove the two rear exhaust headers, and maybe the transfer gears case, as well as disconnect the engine deck lid struts so you can swing the lid out of the way - or remove it entirely (I wouldn't if possible). If you have one of those "tilt" devices that allows you to angle the engine up or down when lifting it, you may be able to skip removing the transfer case and headers, I'm not sure. Other than this, pulling out the top seems pretty simple. Disconnect fuel and water hoses, oil hoses, electricals, half-shafts, shifter rod, throttle cable, exhaust system, and the 4 motor mounts - and your ready to go.

This method has another advantage that you don't get when dropping the whole works out the bottom. When re-installing the engine, you can wiggle it around a bit - this will be a HUGE HELP when trying to hook up the water hoses at the front of the engine.

HINT: Before pulling the throttle cable, attach a piece of wire to the cable socket at the throttle pivot shaft (at the fuel distributors), then as you pull the throttle cable out, the attached wire will follow the correct path and guide you when re-installing the throttle cable later on. Many people have struggled to get the throttle cable routed correctly upon reinstallation of the engine - it's a pain in the butt. Using a piece of wire will be a big help - I learned the hard way...

NEWMAN and I had a good discussion about this method a while back. Up till that time I'd always dropped the engine/trans/cradle out the bottom. But eventually he convinced me that this way is DEFINATELY worth a try.

 

Well, my initial reaction to your posting is....
Jeez Kerry - you suck! Getting a lift just to pull a motor our of your TR!!! (as you know...I'm speaking out of jealousy).

But after I thought about it for a second....I thought...
Good for you, with all of your projects in the works and the fact that your not getting any younger, a lift will really stave off having to buy some of that orthopedic equipment you've had your eye on... ......

But really Kerry, enjoy your new lift, from what I've read and heard - you will be happy with it.

 

I have probably had a hundred motors out of TRs, another 50 out of TR512s and another fifty out of BBs and all I can say is someone who wants to take one out the top hasn't done it both ways. It is so much easier to take it out the bottom and is much easier to service that way. It is much easier to clean that way. It is also much easer to rehose the car and clean the engine bay that way. The entire motor comes out in 3-4 hours.

The subframe bolts to 4 main flanges and you just make a pair of mounting plates and get a couple of casters from Graingers. It is sturdy enough the car can be tied down on a trailer to have steamed, go to the body shop or whatever.

With these casters on the car it is an easy one man job to roll it around pretty much anywhere to clean, work on or just get out of the way provided we are not talking about too much of a hill.

If you get the #4ZZ65 platform truck from Grainger you also have a subframe dolly to drop the subframe on.

Ferrari made those motors come out really easy for a reason, take advantage of it.
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Good day,

Sadly it appears as if 4ZZ65 has been discontinued... however, they do appear to have 2FTL2 as an alternative:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/2FTL2

Cheers,

Sam

 

I am just finishing up an engine out on my TR. I have to agree out of the bottom is the way to go. Once it is on the stand, I just sat on a stool and worked on it. This is the first car that I could just sit on my ass and work on it Great idea with the casters. Very simple solution (The idea I had would have been overkill)

 

Looks just like the 2 I have. Maybe I got the number wrong.

 

Out the bottom for sure.

Brian, those casters are a great idea. I roll it around now on the 4 wheel tire rollers. Yours is tons easier. Excellent!!

 

I agree its easier out the bottom IF you have the right setup. If I did one in my garage for example, it would come out the top not the bottom because I would need to be able to roll the car around and my ramp hoist doesnt cut it for an EO from the bottom.

 

Agreed. Without some sort of conventional hoist out the bottom would be a PIA.


But doing it this way is great if poss.
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8 inch wheels. When selecting remember, the bigger they are, the easier they roll. Also should be a hard rubber. With these the car will roll very well even over big cracks and joints in pavement.

 

Yikes, you guys. It is easy to weld up a a small frame (with cast iron/steel wheels to roll on concrete) that has threaded pick-up points for the engine sub-frame. I used threaded rods to adjust for the slight variation in chasis angle while the car is supported by the two post lift and everything slides back together nicely. Note there is a aluminium water connection below the air-conditioning compressor for the heater core that is easy to miss....oops. Hopefully I can find a jpeg.....

Maybe these will show something. Good luck!

Jeff Pintler
89 348tb, 86tr
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With the subframe out I can probably lift the rear of the car off the ground so it isn't heavy. You do want sturdy wheels though.

 

That would be great if I was 3 feet tall and had the time, welder and materials at home to build it. Forget about the man hour costs of doing that in the shop, if I am doing it at home, from my perspective I am saving several thousand dollars doing this service. I can afford to invest some of that into good tools and equipment so that in the future I am working in better and better circumstances. That is why I suggested the stock truck from Graingers. It also has many good uses so it is not exactly sitting around waiting for me to pull the motor again.

 

Great advise! that water delivery pipe is almost impossible to see. Should you forget to disconnect, the pipe will snap in two when separating engine/body.