fbccars924 Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Ok, new to w body's. I'm doing a trans on a 99 Grand Prix GT and I'm getting told top and bottom to pull get the trans out. Top with engine attached, bottom with subframe. what's faster and easier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l67ss Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Ive always found through the bottom to be easier Ok, new to w body's. I'm doing a trans on a 99 Grand Prix GT and I'm getting told top and bottom to pull get the trans out. Top with engine attached, bottom with subframe. what's faster and easier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19Cutlass94 Posted November 27, 2013 Report Share Posted November 27, 2013 Depends on the tools you have to work with. Ive always pulled the motor/trans through the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 (edited) Ok, new to w body's. I'm doing a trans on a 99 Grand Prix GT and I'm getting told top and bottom to pull get the trans out. Top with engine attached, bottom with subframe. what's faster and easier? With access to a lift, bottom is much faster. Doing it the driveway, or garage, realistically, you'll need to raise the car/front-end MANY FEET. You'll need to be able to at least get the tranny and subframe out from under the car. That's if you use an engine support bar up top, and disconnect the engine. With the engine, ass another 1-3 FEET that you must raise the front/car. IMHO, *I* do not feel at all safe doing that. Removing the engine/tranny from the top takes much more time than just dropping the tranny from the botton and leaving the engine supported. But, at least that method is do-able by the average "shade-tree mechanic". You'll likely be better off if you can get a cheap engine lift from a local parts store. Check/ask at Autozone/etc. Harbor Freight is also a good place. You're not going to be using the engine lift a lot, or lifting heavy engines/trannys. Good Luck! Edited November 28, 2013 by Cutlass350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 (edited) FYI, with a 2000 Olds Intrigue - engine R&R, I yanked both. Edited November 28, 2013 by Cutlass350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l67ss Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 When i dropped the tranny outta my monte last week i only had to raise it a couple feet, my parts house jackstands didnt even sweat. I also did it in my driveway. As to holding the engine, a good strong bar, chain, and a couple rags more than work. With access to a lift, bottom is much faster.Doing it the driveway, or garage, realistically, you'll need to raise the car/front-end MANY FEET. You'll need to be able to at least get the tranny and subframe out from under the car. That's if you use an engine support bar up top, and disconnect the engine. With the engine, ass another 1-3 FEET that you must raise the front/car. IMHO, *I* do not feel at all safe doing that. Removing the engine/tranny from the top takes much more time than just dropping the tranny from the botton and leaving the engine supported. But, at least that method is do-able by the average "shade-tree mechanic". You'll likely be better off if you can get a cheap engine lift from a local parts store. Check/ask at Autozone/etc. Harbor Freight is also a good place. You're not going to be using the engine lift a lot, or lifting heavy engines/trannys. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 When i dropped the tranny outta my monte last week i only had to raise it a couple feet, my parts house jackstands didnt even sweat. I also did it in my driveway. As to holding the engine, a good strong bar, chain, and a couple rags more than work. I've also replaced trannys from under the car. As you and I said, you're talking 2-3 feet (maybe more) that the front of the car has to be raised. That requires good sturdy jack stands. Also, raising just the front end, puts a strain on any unibody. With a FWD car, the rear wheels must be blocked very securely. THE POS parking brake is not good enough to risk one's life on. For those of use with asphalt driveways, that requires a good solid board under the jack stands to prevent them from digging into the asphalt and then tilting the car and other jack stands, which could prove costly and deadly. An engine support bar can be bought or made for ~$100. So, that's not the issue. Imho, I worry more about the saftey of someone asking questions. Imho, I gave info on both options, it's up to the individual to decide. FWIW, even removing a standard tranny from a RWD car like a Camaro or Mustang requires the front/back-end to be lifted a number of feet. People do it all of the time. But, the smart people use the heavy duty locking jackstands. There are drive-on lift-up ramps, etc that people can also buy and use. But, at ~$500 to ~$2,000+, it's not something that I'd recommend for a one time tranny R&R use. For people that work on their car a lot (track, etc), something like those drive-on ramps may be a good investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 FYI, ~$2,000. Nice. But, imho, I have better things to do with $2K. http://www.raceramps.com/portable-pit-stop-ramp.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 (edited) BTW, these are really neat. Last I heard, they are ~$270 for two. But, considering that his website has never really had any selling info, I wonder about them. http://www.myliftstand.com/ Some good photos of them in use http://www.myliftstand.com/photo-gallery/ http://www.myliftstand.com/?attachment_id=248 Video showing how to use them: Imho, these may be a better idea. http://www.stackstands.com/ ~$105 for a set of two. http://www.laneautomotive.com/site/catalog-viewer?cat=46&loadord=13 Also, Lowes has a decent set of 3 ton jacks that, imho, are more stable than most of the others. http://www.lowes.com/pd_4118-20535-85009_5003697__ Kobalt 3 Ton Jack Stands Item #: 4118 | Model #: 85009 $29.98 Good Luck! Edited November 28, 2013 by Cutlass350 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cutlass350 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 BTW, when removing the tranny on a FWD vehicle, you have to remove the front wheels. So, that effects the ability to use some ramps or jack stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imp558 Posted November 28, 2013 Report Share Posted November 28, 2013 If you drop it out the bottom consider inspecting the subframe bushings since it'd be a breeze to replace them once the subframe is down. Also may want to look at both lower engine mounts whether your going up or down. I'd rather go up myself but I love an excuse to get in and inspect and fiddle with stuff, clearly my OCD has an affect on my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolken84 Posted November 29, 2013 Report Share Posted November 29, 2013 I did a rebuild on my 01 GT and if you're doing it yourself without a lift, the only way I could figure was to get the car as high up as possible on jackstands, support the engine/tran with a hydraulic engine hoist, remove the subframe cradle, lower the engine/trans assy., and pull the transaxle out from the bottom. It's not too hard once you figure out the tricks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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