But not without it's problems. 
Just need to get the photo's sorted and report to follow. Bombed out at work so running behind!
The Floyd Brothers 68 Barracuda Fastback
Moderator: Moderators
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Stu
- Posts: 6893
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 05 4:15 pm
- Location: Shropshire, home of the worlds smallest big screen TV
Hokay. So the weekend came and it was time to take on the task of actually getting the engine back in. First problem was getting it off the stand in the garage and into the van, ready to be transported to the workshop for fitting. There was a real worry about this, as the expectation was that with two blokes, a drive that points down like a ski ramp and no crane, there'd almost certainly be no paint at all left on it by the time it was in!
The damdest thing happened though... We had some luck! Drove the van up onto two planks of wood to raise the rear end, pushed the engine stand forward and it cleared! Two more planks uder the sump, undo the bolts and there it sat, proud and as orange as a big orange thing. 
So strapped down, off it went on it's journey to it's new home. 
Once back on the stand on Friday night, it was just a matter of getting the fish back on it's front wheels in the morning, then setting about the install.
Was the wind changing? Was our sudden turn of luck a sign of things to come for the weekend.....?
The damdest thing happened though... We had some luck! Drove the van up onto two planks of wood to raise the rear end, pushed the engine stand forward and it cleared!
Two more planks uder the sump, undo the bolts and there it sat, proud and as orange as a big orange thing. So strapped down, off it went on it's journey to it's new home. Once back on the stand on Friday night, it was just a matter of getting the fish back on it's front wheels in the morning, then setting about the install.
Was the wind changing? Was our sudden turn of luck a sign of things to come for the weekend.....?
24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not…
70 Challenger
MMA/489
NSS/435
70 Challenger
MMA/489
NSS/435
what did you expect, its a mopar after allStu wrote: Was the wind changing? Was our sudden turn of luck a sign of things to come for the weekend.....?
c,mon then spill the beans you can't leave it like that
ticking away the moments that make up a dull day, you fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way.
no car - buts its gotta be a mopar!
no car - buts its gotta be a mopar!
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Stu
- Posts: 6893
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 05 4:15 pm
- Location: Shropshire, home of the worlds smallest big screen TV
Well, the first problem came on Saturday morning. Arrived in the van laden with Gearboxes, exhaust manifolds (trip to Dunc's on Friday! ) mounts, tools, sausage and bacon butties and some crisp notes to pay for the previously arranged two days of lift hire.
First job, change the track rod ends, put some torsion on the front end, wang the wheels on and roll it down the hill straight onto the lift!
Or not...
First, the track rod ends weren't coming off for love nor money. Pain in the arse. Eventually abandoned plan and resolved to stop wasting our precious lift time and replace the complete track rods at a later date.
So a quick whizz with the ratchet would see the torsion bars tensioned then get the wheels wanged on and roll it down the hill straight onto the lift!
Or not...
Somehow, in the all the upheaval of replacing the front end bushings, the plate that houses the tensioning bolt in the passenger side LCA had popped out of it's housing and jammed itself sideways, half in/half out of the square retaining hole. It was not going to budge for love nor money. 
By this time, we were a good couple of hours into our lift time and getting more and more frustrated.
Having backed the bolt all the way out, we tried jacking the arm up to release some of the downforce on the plate. Nowt. So we tried prising it back up. Nowt. Vise Grips, screwdrivers, pry bars, you name it, it didn't care about it.
So to cut a very long story short, about another hour and a half later, halfway through our lift time, we managed to pop it back in. So...
wang the wheels on and roll it down the hill straight onto the lift!
With barely any brakes to stop it and around half a foot either side breathing space and a wall dead ahead....
) mounts, tools, sausage and bacon butties and some crisp notes to pay for the previously arranged two days of lift hire. First job, change the track rod ends, put some torsion on the front end, wang the wheels on and roll it down the hill straight onto the lift!
Or not...
First, the track rod ends weren't coming off for love nor money. Pain in the arse. Eventually abandoned plan and resolved to stop wasting our precious lift time and replace the complete track rods at a later date.
So a quick whizz with the ratchet would see the torsion bars tensioned then get the wheels wanged on and roll it down the hill straight onto the lift!
Or not...
Somehow, in the all the upheaval of replacing the front end bushings, the plate that houses the tensioning bolt in the passenger side LCA had popped out of it's housing and jammed itself sideways, half in/half out of the square retaining hole.
It was not going to budge for love nor money. By this time, we were a good couple of hours into our lift time and getting more and more frustrated. Having backed the bolt all the way out, we tried jacking the arm up to release some of the downforce on the plate. Nowt. So we tried prising it back up. Nowt. Vise Grips, screwdrivers, pry bars, you name it, it didn't care about it.
So to cut a very long story short, about another hour and a half later, halfway through our lift time, we managed to pop it back in. So...
wang the wheels on and roll it down the hill straight onto the lift!
With barely any brakes to stop it and around half a foot either side breathing space and a wall dead ahead....
Last edited by Stu on Tue May 12, 09 9:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not…
70 Challenger
MMA/489
NSS/435
70 Challenger
MMA/489
NSS/435
-
Stu
- Posts: 6893
- Joined: Sun Jul 31, 05 4:15 pm
- Location: Shropshire, home of the worlds smallest big screen TV
Once safely on the lift and chocked up, it was time to get the motor mounts onto the block and get the block hoisted up in the air.
Get primed for the start of the proper problems...
But the update will have to come tomorrow as I still have a shedload of work to finish tonight...
Get primed for the start of the proper problems...
But the update will have to come tomorrow as I still have a shedload of work to finish tonight...
24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not…
70 Challenger
MMA/489
NSS/435
70 Challenger
MMA/489
NSS/435
So folks, did the boys accidentally put the engine in back to front and have to convert it to front wheel drive?
Was the engine too small for the hole and it fell on the floor?
Did they forget about the right hand drive servo and couldn't get the engine in?
Or did they decide to call it a day and put the old leaning tower of power back in and start counting rivets?
All will be revealed in the tale of two brothers who took on the world of Mopar with two bob, a conker, a half inch A/F ring spanner and a piece of hairy string...
Was the engine too small for the hole and it fell on the floor?
Did they forget about the right hand drive servo and couldn't get the engine in?
Or did they decide to call it a day and put the old leaning tower of power back in and start counting rivets?
All will be revealed in the tale of two brothers who took on the world of Mopar with two bob, a conker, a half inch A/F ring spanner and a piece of hairy string...
