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Grand Prix Tear Down Has Begun

DanGTP said:
I wish I had some tips for you, but I don't... Good work so far! I'm curious how you managed to get all of the manifold bolts out without stripping/breaking them. That's mostly what's holding me back from putting my front PEM on. Lots and lots of PB blaster??
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Well, Ive helped with a set of manifolds before with a local guy that went turbo. And I kinda picked up on a few things there. So when I started mine, I sprayed them down with some Amsoil Metal Protector (kinda like PB Blaster). I let that sit a little bit then I started backing the bolts out. When/If I got ot a point the bolts started offering resistance, like they would break or strip, I sprayed them down again, let that sit for a minute or two, then I tightened up the bolts back in like you were installing. Let that sit a minute or two and then I started backing them out again. All of them but one bolt came out after that process and on that one bolt I just had to do it again.

The same thing with the cross over bolts. The front side ones came out easy enough. The rear ones, I just used the above mentioned process and all was good. Now I havent done the rear manifold yet or collector, but I'll use the same process with them as well.
 


You better believe it. Ive been using it since 1992ish. My lawn mower, my weed whacker, my vehicles, anything and everything that needs a lubricant in my house uses Amsoil. I have spent a great deal of time educating myself about lubricants and Amsoil has always been a clear and easy choice for me. I'll have to get the garage cleaned up and take a picture, you'll see just how much I like their products then.
 
Ya just unbolt compressor and hang it.
With many Engine pulls under my belt years ago.
could get an engine pulled in around an hour with help.
Easy way we did it. Take hood off, unbolt, and pull with or with out tranny.
 
I never pulled the engine before. But the tranny is dead, so Im pulling both so I can rebuild the tranny and do some 'maintenance' *wink* *wink* on the engine.

If I knew for FACT I could color match the paint, I would pull the hood off and repaint it, to get rid of all the rock chips and stuff like that. I want to do the engine bay anyway. But I am hesitant to pull the hood because I hate to not get it aligned properly.

I need a cherry picker and a couple engine stands and Im set. Im hoping to have at least the engine stands here soon.
 


If you dont mind me asking ,Where is the main place you buy your amsoil from? I am guessing I would have to buy it off line since i have never seen it anywhere around here.
 
DanGTP said:
I wish I had some tips for you, but I don't... Good work so far! I'm curious how you managed to get all of the manifold bolts out without stripping/breaking them. That's mostly what's holding me back from putting my front PEM on. Lots and lots of PB blaster??
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I sprayed my bolts liberally with WD-40 and made sure I had the correct size bolt attached, and they came off with any problems. The rears were harder, just because they are awkward to get at.
 
The main thing to remember when pulling exhaust bolts (any bolt for that matter) is that if they start to turn out hard turn them back in a ways and try it again. If you work them enough they should come.
 
Why are you removing so much while the engine is in the car? Like the radiatior and w/p and struts, engine and trans comes out just fine with them still in as said before just unbolt the a/c and the p/s pumps and let them sit in the car, but don't forget to detach your kncok sensor wire from the p/s pump before you yank it or you'll breka the wire like I did :P

you are doing alot cleaner that I do, I use an impact to get 75% of the bolts out and just tear into it, don't mark any bolts or wires, nothing lol
 
Well, first I would like to paint the engine bay. Make it look nice, that sorta thing. Second, I want to rewire the engine bay and get that harness routed a better way. Next, just about everything is going to get painted. Brackets, plastic pieces, major items and so on. Id like to powder coat it all, but I dont think I can swing all that. So I'll put multiple coats on things, clear what I can in an effort to make things easier to keep clean. Dirt and stuff just get in things like the plastic and its near impossible to keep them looking truly black. This is also true of much of the metal pieces. So as much as it is for appearance, its also to help keep things cleaner and nicer looking.
 


well, when you are done... you HAVE to enter it into car shows for cleanest engine bay.

I have neevr seen another person so organized! everything is nicely set aside.

You are doing one heck of a job!!!!!! keep up the good work.

I have a spare cradle here for ya..you could send it to Farns for a high polish shine and slap it in. lol


LOL. another thing..dont doubt yourself! you can do anything/everything to your car!!
 
Organized... heh. I still have crap strewn across parts of yard where I did my engine swap almost a year ago. I still haven't found on the engine lift brackets either... the mower didn't catch anything last go around, so I guess it's with some of my spare parts?
;)

Good luck with it. I know how it feels to have your baby torn down and out of commission while you work on a long-term project.
 


RooK said:
I know how it feels to have your baby torn down and out of commission while you work on a long-term project.
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You have no idea. The whole reason I have resisted draining the fluids thus far is that once I do (even though I already am) my mind will register that I am committed to this. For the longest time I would not take off the drivers side wheel even. I want my baby back and tearing it down like this, even though it is moving me closer to that, makes it seem like Im moving further and further away.

I sat for an hour I bet one time just looking at the passenger side, starring at the ring gear and contemplating just sticking my spare differential in there and putting it back on the road.

But as I contemplate all that I have planned out for a year, I cant bring myself to take a short cut and not prove out some of the ideas I have had and want to work on. It WILL be back, faster, stronger, better, more efficient and if all goes according to what I have planned I think it may even surprise a few. But I got a lot to get done before then and pray it all proves out.
 
SyntheticShield said:
I never pulled the engine before. But the tranny is dead, so Im pulling both so I can rebuild the tranny and do some 'maintenance' *wink* *wink* on the engine.

If I knew for FACT I could color match the paint, I would pull the hood off and repaint it, to get rid of all the rock chips and stuff like that. I want to do the engine bay anyway. But I am hesitant to pull the hood because I hate to not get it aligned properly.

I need a cherry picker and a couple engine stands and Im set. Im hoping to have at least the engine stands here soon.
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not get the hoot aligned properly?

saw a guy one time mark the bolt head outline w/ white out (should be removeable after reinstalation, but you might want to test on an inconspicuous area of pant or spare part or somethin.

but in reality, i would bet that if you backed out one of the bolts holding the hood on, you'd see a distinc mark where the bolt was tightened, allowing you to use that to line it back up. now if you buff polish it, then no, you'd not have those marks anymore. but you really need to remove the hood, the cherry picker wont work well with the hood on.
 
When we pulled my hood for the engine swap, we didn't even mark anything. We just lined the bolt heads up with marks they left on the hinges. I think we only readjusted it once and it looks fine.
 
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