GTSilver944

I am about to rebuild the engine on my '84 N/A. It's my first time pulling an engine apart, but I have time, tools, and am fairly mechanically adept.

So, do I need to set the engine to TDC before taking everything apart? If so, I assume that I would leave the flywheel on when mounting it to an engine stand and use a flywheel lock to keep it at TDC.

krystar

even after u take it apart u can still get it back to TDC. but yes, it is easier if u did it ahead of time.

GTSilver944

Ok. So, then would it be better to mount it on the engine stand with or without a flywheel?

Edit: With a flywheel, so I can lock it to get the crank pulley off? (and keep it at TDC)

schwank

Set it to TDC so that you know exactly where it is. Just helps to prevent disaster.

You have to pull the flywheel and clutch to mount to an engine stand, at least on mine you do. Not enough clearance on the arms. To date I have found it easier to remove the crank pulleys in the car with the flywheel lock in place.

Personally I assembled the engine with #1 at TDC. Be sure to set the cam to match before mounting the housing on the head. Obviously you just want to keep those in sync.... if you set it before pulling it, and did not rebuild anything in the cam housing itself, you should be able to put down new gaskets and mount the entire housing.

The crank pulleys can go on with no worries due to the woodruff key dictating the pulley orientation. I did not put the crank pulley on until after the engine was in the car, but it doesn't really matter. The key is that you can not torque the crank bolt until you can lock the flywheel in place to prevent the engine from spinning.

I just did my first full rebuild this winter. Just take your time and read a lot first, and you'll be fine.

GTSilver944

Thanks. Looks like I'll set it to TDC, lock the flywheel, and impact wrench the crank pulley. Then pull the flywheel, put it on the engine stand and begin taking it apart.