65 thunderbird 390 removal

P

Pssigmon

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Oct 20, 2018
Thunderbird Year
1965
Hello, I have a cracked exhaust manifold and I can’t get to the bolts and I believe the rear main seal is leaking so I’m thinking my best bet is to pull the motor. I have the 390fe engine. Does anyone have any tips or guidance. I haven’t done an engine pull to a Ford or by myself so any help is appreciated. I have the space and a tilt head hoist. I’d also like to detail and clean up my engine bay. I can’t find much on pulling the engine and what I can find it’s alwas in 70s trucks.
 

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Pssigmon said:
Hello, I have a cracked exhaust manifold and I can’t get to the bolts and I believe the rear main seal is leaking so I’m thinking my best bet is to pull the motor. I have the 390fe engine. Does anyone have any tips or guidance. I haven’t done an engine pull to a Ford or by myself so any help is appreciated. I have the space and a tilt head hoist. I’d also like to detail and clean up my engine bay. I can’t find much on pulling the engine and what I can find it’s alwas in 70s trucks.
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It’s a piece a cake to Pull,five bolts on the bell housing ,fore bolts on your tour converter,the four bolts off the exhaust manifold pull the radiator and the front metal work by the motor,Pull the motor mount bolts disconnect all your electrical lines and hoses and pull it out I did mine by myself with the hood on in 45 minutes, got it bro
 
Take the hood off. Get help as it is heavy.
 
Pssigmon said:
Hello, I have a cracked exhaust manifold and I can’t get to the bolts and I believe the rear main seal is leaking so I’m thinking my best bet is to pull the motor. I have the 390fe engine. Does anyone have any tips or guidance. I haven’t done an engine pull to a Ford or by myself so any help is appreciated. I have the space and a tilt head hoist. I’d also like to detail and clean up my engine bay. I can’t find much on pulling the engine and what I can find it’s alwas in 70s trucks.
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You do not have to remove the hood to pull the motor out,if you use a short chain it comes out fine,that’s just unnecessary work,And again I did it by myself it took 45 minutes to an hour in less all your bolts are rusted,Good luck
 
Hi there Pssigmon. 390 is ~650 lbs. Let us know how it goes. Doug
 
i am having the same " issue " BUT wanted to pull motor and tranny out as one piece ..... ( rebuilding and cleaning up chassis etc) got most of the stuff suggested but am " stuck on tranny linkages .... how much do i need to remove or even how on tranny or frame/body ... i have drive shaft off too .... any help greatly appreciated ....
 
I've pulled more than a few engines and trans together. I always take the hood off just to give myself more room. I pulled my 390 w/automatic out of my 66 convertible (this was many many years ago). I would suggest that you either drain the trans first or you can do what I did. I took the front yoke assembly off the driveshaft (I was replacing the "U" joints anyway) and pushed it into the back of the transmission. That way when you tilt the engine / trans to pull them out the trans fluid will not pour out the back of the transmission.
 
i appreciate that insight ... what im womdering is how much of the tranny linkages need to be removed ( it's all connected yet ) just wanted to avoid one of those doooh moments you know as in " u did what ??? all u needed to do was this ...... lol which is easier or possible in your opinion to unhook the tranny .... or am i over complicating this haha
 
Disconnect the speedometer cable, and trans cooling lines. Pull the driveshaft, and disconnect rear trans mount. There are only two linkage connections and they can be disconnected right at the trans. (Either “c” clips or cotter type pins). Also, remove vacuum line from intake manifold to back of trans. That should do it.
 
Can the exhaust manifolds stay on the engine or do they have to be removed before pulling it?
 
BigClay said:
Disconnect the speedometer cable, and trans cooling lines. Pull the driveshaft, and disconnect rear trans mount. There are only two linkage connections and they can be disconnected right at the trans. (Either “c” clips or cotter type pins). Also, remove vacuum line from intake manifold to back of trans. That should do it.
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THANKS SO MUCH :) u saved me a lot of aggravation and work :) now i can yank it out and get on with my resto .... i have a older retired master mechanic friend that wants to help out by rebuilding the motor in his spare time ( no rush becuzz the car is gonna take long time to fix i have a life too haha...) after all the motor is the last thing to go back in after the restore and paint ..... hopefully in this lifetime lol
 
I can associate with "life taking precedence over the car". I bought my 1955 in the fall of 1975 when I was 21 years old. I drove it for about a month then took it off the road for winter. During the winter I decided on restoration. Life got full, car didn't get attention. It is now my retirement project.
 
My wife likes that I work on these old cars. She thinks it keeps me out of trouble...
 
MY wifes likes it becuz it keeps ME out of her hair/house :rolleyes: shes given up keepin me outta trouble lol
 
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