<VV> Engine removing method

[Frank DuVal]

Until I bought the hydraulic table, EVERY Corvair engine/drivetrain I 
removed involved the use of one hydraulic jack and a dolly. This dolly 
was similar to a mover's dolly, except it had been constructed by my 
grandfather back in the 30s/40s or so for moving cabinets and other 
equipment. Steel casters with a deck height of about 5" off the floor. I 
did beef up one of the dollies with an extra sheet of plywood.

Get car high enough, place dolly on jack, roll under car. Place jack at 
balance point of what you are removing. Jack up dolly to put pressure on 
removing components. Take out appropriate fasteners. Lower jack, while 
keeping unit balanced. When on floor, pull jack from under dolly and 
roll drivetrain to working area.

Yes, there were close calls on the balance part. Sometimes it took a try 
or two to find the magic balance point. Of course, for the down 
movement, there were no second tries, just hold onto the unit and force 
a balance.

For complete drivetrain removal, keep the car level. For removing just 
the engine on a late model (there is never a reason to just remove the 
engine in an early, too easy to do it whole), keep the rear end high, as 
when you lower the engine it will droop in the rear. Also, a bottle jack 
placed on the differential (jacking against the package shelf) keeps the 
differential at a fixed angle as loads change. Very important to keep 
from breaking the diff snout. This also involves constantly changing the 
jack height as you roll the engine rearward.

When working in the yard, I used plywood to make a flat surface for the 
jack to roll on.

Frank DuVal