TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:39 am

Quick question folks - can't find the answer in Bentley or Haynes to this one.

Does the 73 bus need to be jacked up at the rear to remove the engine - or will it just slide out if the rear bumper is removed? I've got an ATV jack that goes pretty low. It's a stupid question I know but I'm just asking to make sure I do this without any snags - I've never tackled anything like this before!

thanks

Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:27 am

the rear will need to be lifted. the only way to remove an engine without raising the rear is if you have a removable rear apron.

Sat Jan 30, 2010 4:59 am

OK thanks. Any idea how much it needs to be lifted by?

Sat Jan 30, 2010 5:03 am

I just back mine up on ramps and it's high enough. Peace!

Sat Jan 30, 2010 8:26 am

Does it have to be jacked if the rear apron is the removable type?? Not just the bumber, but on my 69, it looks like the rear frame ("apron??" - behind the engine) is held-on with 4 bolts, that canbe removed after the bumber is removed.

If he has this type of set-up, does it still have to be raised??

Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:03 am

kubicixfactor wrote: OK thanks. Any idea how much it needs to be lifted by?

Here's me (after banging the shit out of my thumb) while putting the engine back in. It should give you some idea hor far to raise it needs to be raised. With carbs you may need to raise it more or remove the carb setup.

HTH

Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:24 am

VAVW,
I have the removable apron and I just raised mine by the thickness of some 2x4's so I had a little extra clearance. with center mount carb it comes out/ goes in real easy. Duals complicate it a bit more.

Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:35 am

with tall, heavy duty jack stands placed a little forward of the torsion housing on the frame, you should have plenty of clearance. little jack stands are useless for a Bus. safety is the most important thing.
after i removed the jack, the entire assembly slid right out from under the bus without any clearance problems.

Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:23 pm

I think mine gets jacked up about 20" from the bottom of the rear bodywork sheet meta supported by heavy duty jack standsl to the deck.

Just high enough to get the engine under the bodywork on whatever you're using to lower it. I use a motorcycle jack.

Raising the bus too high results in a bad angle to get the engine out. The jacking platform should be as close to the same horizontal plane as the bottom of the engine. Sometimes a piece of wood 1" thick help to get the jacking platform and the engine on the same plane. This really helps especially when reinstalling the engine.

When you get the engine out, measure the top most point of the engine while it's sitting on the jack lowered all the way down. That's tells you how high to jack up the bus next time.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:37 am

Last post was interesting - I'm only taking the engine out, so leaving thetransmission in place.

If I drive up on ramps the wheels are around 8" off the ground. But sliding my ATV jack underneath shows the difference in angle between the engine and the jack. OK I can pack it but won't I get problems with binding/ bending the input shaft as I draw the engine back because the jack isn't coming back on the same plane? It looks like the jack needs to move on a similar incline to match the angle of the bus.

.......Or am I worrying about nothing here?

Sun Feb 07, 2010 9:40 am

Take the engine and transmission out together, it's much easier, faster, and you'll thank yourself when you go to put them back in.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:08 am

Any idea what the combined weight is?

Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:13 am

kubicixfactor wrote: Any idea what the combined weight is?

The 6 rib tranny weighs about 95 pounds, the fully loaded engine 350 or so. What difference does that make? I highly doubt you'll be taking either or both of them out of the Bus without the aid of a jack. Once you have them out separate the engine from the tranny, do what you need to do, remate the engine and tranny and put it back in. I've pulled many an engine out of various Buses and with a later Bus the easiest way hands down is to pull them as a unit, and then reinstall them as a unit. In fact, I reinstalled the engine and tranny in my father's Bus last night, by myself, in the dark, with below zero windchill. Cake.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:13 am

kubicixfactor wrote: Any idea what the combined weight is?

Figure 350lbs. Don't drop it.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:04 pm

What I do is raise the back of the vehicle about 8" and the front only a little bit, only 1.5"-3". This leaves the bus on a nose down angle. If you pull the two bolts over the bellhousing while leaving the front tranny mount in place then you can lower the engine/tranny combo until it swings down to a level plane. Once level, when you separate them they will come straight apart and the fully dressed engine (minus just the coil) will clear the bumper and valance. Going back together is a breeze as well.

Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:55 pm

What I do is put the bus on my car hoist unbolt the engine run my motorcycle jack under it and lift it any heith I need it up to 6 feet.
it has taken years to get a hoist and I LOVE it!

Sun Feb 07, 2010 7:08 pm

I've never removed the engine with the trans so I can't say if it's easier or not. Next time, I'll try it.

That said, I've not had too much trouble getting the input shaft lined up or getting the bolts in because I use an extra jack under the trans.

Problems occur because the jack not only raises the engine, it moves it slightly to the front (forward is front) as it's being raised. You need control over not only the raising and lowering the engine, but the forward and rearward movement of the engine as it lines up with the trans to get the bolt holes exactly lined up.

After getting the input shaft from the clutch and the trans lined up, close to when the bolt holes are lining up, I use a small scissor or bottle jack to raise and lower the trans a tiny bit, so the flywheel end of the engine casting can be made vertically parallel with the face of the trans. This can be seen from under the bus as the engine jack or the trans jacks are either raised or lowered

I can raise and lower the engine and the trans (a bit) individually when the bolt holes get close to lining up. This has been a big help to me.

Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:58 pm

Like the idea re just removing bellhousing bolts and swinging trans down slightly - anyone else done this?

Great pics BTW. Nice and cold in the UK at the moment so I'm really regretting not doing this last October....