ERA 2136 Build Log

[tkb289]

As Herman said … the Motor & Transmission are in

First and foremost, had a lot of talented help from Herman (289fia_cobra), my son Mike, and fellow car enthusiast Larry amongst others. That really made the difference … thanks guys !!!

Once the pilot bearing was installed, it was pretty straight forward to put together the clutch assembly and reinstall the bell housing & starter.

With the water pump pulley off, but the crank pulley on, the motor was lowered pretty much straight down from over the driver's side fender into the engine bay. We had (4) guys up top guiding the motor and moving the cherry picker, with one guy underneath providing direction (thanks Herman). The front of the motor was being tipped up just a bit and once the bell housing cleared the firewall, we were able to then slide the cherry picker towards the rear of the car, lowered the motor some more and this brought the motor mounts right into alignment.

I had cut the heads off (2) bolts and ground a slot into the end, to be used as temporary guide pins on the bell housing (put in the upper bolt holes, after the motor was installed). The transmission was muscled into the car and then pretty well slid into place, as everything had been carefully aligned. It took a little nudging to get the last little bit to go together, but everything seemed to fit well, we did not have to force anything.

It was very cool to use a lead hammer for the first time … had to double check to make sure I was going the correct direction … next I'll learn how to safety wire

This was a big step today and while there is a lot of plumbing & electrical work, manifolds & exhaust system to install … the car is going together very nicely.

Here are some photos from today's activities:

[fasterthebetter]

Great work.

[xb-60]

Great job, Tim and gang. Full credit to Herman for giving instructions from underneath. It's a real psychological hurdle to install a motor and trans. It's not a particularly difficult job, but there's a lot riding on no slip-ups!! Great job.
Cheers!
Glen

[Jim Holden]

Tim:

Lots of fun!

Don't forget to move the shifter forward!

Jim

[wolf k]

Congratulations Tim, you and your crew look like they did a very thorough job.
Heads up, I had to remove the steering sector shaft to fit the drivers side header.

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by wolf k

Congratulations Tim, you and your crew look like they did a very thorough job.
Heads up, I had to remove the steering sector shaft to fit the drivers side header.

Wolf,

Thanks ... the tips from your build were helpful. I have so say, I am impressed how you did the motor & trans install by yourself ... it would have taken me a long, long time on my own ... that's for sure. I did a test fit of the header on the passenger side, in and out fairly easily ... driver's side looks to be a bit more of a challenge. I'll take another look, but I am sure you are correct, the steering shaft has to be moved out of the way.

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by Jim Holden

Tim:

Lots of fun!

Don't forget to move the shifter forward!

Jim

Jim,

Thanks ... need to move the shifter and also use the ERA supplied bolts to attach it. One neat detail, the shifter looks like the one out of a 60's Ford ... but with the 5 speed pattern ... nice!

[tkb289]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Great job, Tim and gang. Full credit to Herman for giving instructions from underneath. It's a real psychological hurdle to install a motor and trans. It's not a particularly difficult job, but there's a lot riding on no slip-ups!! Great job.
Cheers!
Glen

Glen,

Right you are ... with lots of help it is straight forward and it's also due to how well the car is designed & built, the manual and all the right bits & pieces that ERA supplies.