Quaraxkad's '92 Cutlass

[ActionJackson]

Originally Posted by Quaraxkad

so I'm considering having some paint mixed up in the final exterior color, and I'll spray the engine bay using that color instead of black. .

What a great project! Good luck with it. Body matching engine bay color is a big + in my opinion.

[Reboticon]

If it makes you feel better, you can't drain it at the cooler lines. You can get some fluid out through them, but no matter what there will still be several quarts in there.

Here is a tip I've repeatedly learned (sometimes I have to fail things multiple times before it sinks in...) When you go to put the trans pan back on, get a can of THE RIGHT STUFF gasket maker and use it instead of the crappy rubber gasket that comes with a filter kit. Those things ALWAYS leak around the trans pan curve.

And why did you bother unbolting the entire hubs?!

[Quaraxkad]

Originally Posted by ActionJackson

What a great project! Good luck with it. Body matching engine bay color is a big + in my opinion.

Thanks. I think if I decide to go with body-color paint, it's going to be expensive. If I do that I may not be able to prevent myself from removing all body panels and respraying *everything* in sight (and out of sight).

Originally Posted by Reboticon

If it makes you feel better, you can't drain it at the cooler lines. You can get some fluid out through them, but no matter what there will still be several quarts in there.

I was only draining the fluid so I could remove the cooler lines without making a mess.

Originally Posted by Reboticon

Here is a tip I've repeatedly learned (sometimes I have to fail things multiple times before it sinks in...) When you go to put the trans pan back on, get a can of THE RIGHT STUFF gasket maker and use it instead of the crappy rubber gasket that comes with a filter kit. Those things ALWAYS leak around the trans pan curve.

I didn't actually end up removing this pan completely, it leaked out enough by just cracking it loose. This transmission isn't going back in the car though (it would explode the instant is saw 10% of the power from the new engine) so I don't care if this leaks. I'll keep that in mind for the new one though, thanks.

Originally Posted by Reboticon

And why did you bother unbolting the entire hubs?!

Because the axles come out through the knuckle, the only other way is to unhook the lower balljoint to swing the knuckle out the way. That risks damaging the balljoint boot, which is cheap, but the 4 bolts holding the hub to the knuckle were ridiculously easy to remove despite their locations, and that was free. Free is cheaper than cheap.

[Reboticon]

Originally Posted by Quaraxkad

Because the axles come out through the knuckle, the only other way is to unhook the lower balljoint to swing the knuckle out the way. That risks damaging the balljoint boot, which is cheap, but the 4 bolts holding the hub to the knuckle were ridiculously easy to remove despite their locations, and that was free. Free is cheaper than cheap.

But to get a trans out of one of those, you typically remove the subframe and drop it out the bottom, so you have to separate the ball joints anyways. I guess you could try taking it all out through the top, since you are taking the motor also, but that seems like way more frustration.

[Quaraxkad]

Originally Posted by Reboticon

But to get a trans out of one of those, you typically remove the subframe and drop it out the bottom, so you have to separate the ball joints anyways. I guess you could try taking it all out through the top, since you are taking the motor also, but that seems like way more frustration.

Sooo much easier out the top. It literally pulls straight up, absolutely no clearance issues. And on that note... I got the hoist this morning. Didn't have any hookups or chains, so I went to Autozone and just got a cheap Duralast leveler. Figured it's better than a chain from Lowes, even if the "leveling" function isn't needed. I could use it on the Legend some day. Hood is off, fenders are off, engine is out.





Having never removed this engine before, I got lucky and didn't have to go back in and disconnect anything. It came right out the top with no drama or snags.



The engine bay is quite a mess. Next I'll start cleaning that up. Then I'll make my final decision on the engine bay color. I'm leaning towards "rattle-can" high-temp gloss black right now rather than the potential future exterior color, primarily for budget reasons. I still haven't even bought the replacement engine! My running total for this build is currently at about $80... For the leveler and some bolts to connect it to the engine brackets, a T60 socket, bigger pry bars, and a fuel line disconnect tool.

The foam and rubber insulation that runs along the whole firewall is trashed. I pulled it off and it crumbles into pieces. I don't know if this stuff is just for sound suppression or if it's a heat shield. If it's just for sound, I don't care about it. But if it's supposed to reduce heat in the cabin I'll probably want to do something about replacing it. Here it is around the C100 connector, where a huge chunk broke off:



I have two wiring harnesses on the firewall that I want to get out of the way. One of them is screwed in from inside the cabin, probably in a difficult to reach location but I haven't looked inside yet. The other is underneath the brake booster, and had two bolts on it which I removed, but it still appears to be attached.



Tomorrow I will begin with the heavy-duty cleaning, and then paint.

[Jonslegend]

Watcha doin with them there gs's sir

[Quaraxkad]

Originally Posted by Jonslegend

Watcha doin with them there gs's sir

They're sittin' on a shelf. Ran across them at the junkyard on a Legend year/model on which they didn't belong, all in good shape but dirty. Couldn't pass up the opportunity so I bought them. I had to build my shelves *around* the spare wheels...

[GrtOutdoorsAZ]

Phew that's a Lotta work! Gl with your project

[94LegendaryAcuraGS]

Okay golden star for me. It looks like a pretty in depth project. Have fun and we'll keep watching your progress. Going to do a custom ground wire kit for it?

[l4zy415]

Wow, good job on removing the engine. When i saw the car on your first post, i was like, "Meh, i don't like the body style". Can't wait to see it finished man.