Operation Stude: No Turning Back

It’s been awhile since my hands have gotten this greasy! I never used to wear gloves, but now I know better. Still, there’s times when you just need to go without ’em. This was one of those times…

With everything in the engine bay detached from my Studebaker, there was still a few other things to tend to before lifting out the engine and transmission. First was battling the bolts which connected the exhaust to the headers. Next I ensured all the shifting linkage was disconnected from the transmission as well as speedo cables, etc. After disconnecting the driveshaft (when taking out the driveshaft, take special care to keep the U-joint in place,) we decided to make the job easier by removing the crossmember. While some car’s crossmembers are permanently attached, Studie’s comes down with ten bolts…the effort to take it off was fully rewarded by a smoother exit of the trans! We also took off the carburetor, as it would just get in the way of the engine hoist. Whenever opening the top of your engine (whether by removing the air cleaner or full carburetor), be sure to block off the hole…you don’t want anything falling down into your engine!

When it came time to connect the “cherry picker” (engine hoist), we were glad the front end of Studie was off. With this style of engine puller, there’s no way we could’ve safely done it without getting in closer to it – which removing the front body pieces enabled us to do. Choosing a couple of places to bolt in the hoist chain, we were soon having lift off! Little by little we guided the engine up and out, ensuring it always had clearance.* The job went extremely smoothly!

With Studie’s little 383 out, I looked back at the empty engine bay and felt a little anxiety. Will she ever go back together again?! Off course she will, but it’s just a weird thing for me to see. One of the things I’ve learned about working on cars, is that you can’t let anxiety stop you. Whether it’s coming from fear of not knowing how to do something or holding back from taking your car to the next level, anxiety and fear can tie our hands and keep us from moving forward if we don’t keep it in check. So just roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty, and soon enough you’ll have that “I can do it” gleam in your eye!

Getting everything connected on the engine stand, I had to do a shameful dirty photo shoot of it before the 383 get’s cleaned up.

Getting all that grease off is gonna feel GOOD!

Happy Trails,
Kristin

*Quick Tip: Have at least a couple of catch pans around when doing this, unless you want a very dirty (which can be dangerous) floor. The trans began puking transmission oil when it got at an angle, and the engine began spewing more radiator fluid as soon as it got out of the car. 

When the transmission (or any lines for that matter) have gotten most of their fluid out, but are still dripping, stick a latex glove around it and secure with a zip tie. It’ll catch the rest of the fluid and you won’t have to worry about drips!