What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Topic: What's the hardest car part you've installed solo? (Read 3193 times) previous topic - next topic

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #15 – July 09, 2006, 10:38:36 PM

Just finished installing motor mounts on my 91 SC(big time pain in the ass).
Complete 2.3L to 5.0HO swap in my 87 TC 2 years ago.
Tore the 5.0L apart to install new top end and supercharger(another big pain in the ass).

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #16 – July 09, 2006, 10:39:29 PM

Isuzu truck frame. For those of you who haven't read my ranting about it before: back in about '97 Isuzu issued a recall for the frames of its 88-92 pickup trucks. They rotted prematurely, so the federal gov't ordered them to do something. That "something" was to replace the entire frame. The shop was full of flat rate mechanics and I was a straight time apprentice, so I got elected to do most of them, and the mechanics would not help because they didn't get paid for it. The only help in the whole job would be to position the new frame on jackstands (after I had already lifted the body off the old frame with a hoist and rolled the old one out of the way). The rest of the job I was on my own. Although I absolutely hated doing the job I did get some very valuable experience. After doing about four dozen truck frame recalls there is absolutely no job that I would be afraid to tackle :D

As for on my own car in my own driveway, I'd have to say the engine rebuild in the '91 T-Bird. Engine rebuilds are not generally hard, I know, but I did it in the driveway in January. New crank, bearings, one rod & piston, honed the cylinders, and even did a (very) amature port job on the heads. I borrowed an engine stand and lift from work. All in the driveway in an eastern Canadian winter. Not fun...

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #17 – July 09, 2006, 11:08:02 PM

Swapped a N/A 2.3 from an '80 Fairmont into an '80 Capri.. the first hard part being that my engine hoist was a 2-wheeled trailer fabricated by my father, (functional but VERY awkward unless you leave it hitched to a vehicle, which I couldn't) and the second hard part was doing it by myself in my front yard with no paved working surface to.. you know.. keep a 2-wheeled trailer with an engine hanging from it from sinking into the sand.. and stuff like that.

I'm about to repeat the same stunt (well, the pulling part, anyway) but with the HO in my '88 LSC, but this time with a proper cherry picker. Maybe even this week. Still have a few details to work out.

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #18 – July 09, 2006, 11:17:55 PM

429/c-6 into fox mustang with a 8 quart canton pan and a stock k member;)

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #19 – July 09, 2006, 11:19:16 PM

Putting back together the top end of a 2.3, which I had no knowledge of at the time. o2 sensor in the 86 I had, I couldnt get the thing threaded and I kept hitting my head on the hood.

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #20 – July 09, 2006, 11:51:45 PM

pulled a 5.0 shortblock out of a crown vic with my bare hands.....

pulled a 12A rotary from my 82 rx7 with my bare hands..... in flip-flops!

and those rotaries are ****ing heavy!

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #21 – July 09, 2006, 11:58:48 PM

Transmission in an 87 s10 blazer 4X4, this included pulling the trans & transfer case out of the parts truck. I also done the exhaust at the same time. Done it for a "friend" and never got paid... last time I tried to help someone in need, Now I generally tell people to take it to a mechanic or get the money up front before I touch the car.

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #22 – July 09, 2006, 11:59:52 PM

The entire T5 conversion was done physically by myself...

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #23 – July 10, 2006, 12:07:02 AM

I swapped the frame on a '70 Galaxie from a parts car... Now that was a bitch... I did have the wife help with lifting the bodies off the frames(she ran the hoist), also she helped push the rolling chassis around the back yard... I wound up swaping everything except the front suspension from the original chassis to the replacement...

The 5.0 swap into the TC was a biggie as well, did that one all by myself... Started with complete three cars, finished up with one and a bunch of pieces...

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #24 – July 10, 2006, 12:24:48 AM

Hmmm, what does hardest mean?

Lifting the 110 lb Tremec over my head and then aligning the input shaft & ramming it in all by myself - that was a killer. Dropping an engine is easy, except for the time I couldn't get it to seat for an hour and then noticed the starter wedged under the engine mount - doh!

The most frustrating is getting the bolts on the headers to align when they don't want to - many bruised knuckles & I had to retap a couple of holes in the alum heads last time - grrrr.

I was able to roll the Turbocoupe rear-end in and install it easy enough, but later when I changed the control arms, I thought I would explode before I figured out how to properly jack the rear-end to align the ed holes for the bolts.

I'll never forget changing the pedal assembly to convert to a manual or changing the heater core & fogetting something after the dash was back in place again

Oh, I do ALL of my work solo.

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #25 – July 10, 2006, 05:56:34 PM

Well, as far as labor intensive, the 5.8L conversion, tremec conversion and 255LPH fuel pump were done in one day solo in the driveway. As far as a job being the most stressful? It would defintely have to be doing a tune up on an LT1, regardless of car. It's just as difficult to do it on an Impala SS as it is on a Z28. (distributor cap and rotor). OMFG, of all the places to put a distributor!!!!!

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #26 – July 10, 2006, 06:05:51 PM

Hardest thing I've done is probably the rear end swap I'm in the middle of. I've pulled 2 or 3 motors, but I've never put one in. Yeah, my garage is a mess. The timing chain was sorta daunting at first, when I had to fix it on my t-bird but once I got it put back together I was so glad I did it myself.

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #27 – July 10, 2006, 07:00:21 PM

Quote from: Ether947

I'm sure I'll see alot of engines and tranny installs but I'm still curious none the less. My hardest just happened last night. I installed a rear end all by myself. It wasn't that bad at first until I had to align and jack the thing up at the same time! And the higher it got the more unstable it became. It nearly rolled right over me. =/ But I got it in and that's all I cared about.

Other than that the other worst was removing and installing a nearly 3/4 full gas tank in an apartment parking lot. That... sucked... ass.

Lol, wow that sounds very familiar...I installed an 8.8 rear last year and was supposed to have help, but my buddy never showed/called. I also just replaced my fuel pump (also with 3/4 tank of gas) on Sunday, July, 2nd. I had to do it in the middle of the street with only a floor jack...and that SOB was rocking and rolling when I was putting it up...only spilled about 4 ounces of gas...I would do a motor/tranny install any day of the week over another fuel pump/rear.

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #28 – July 10, 2006, 07:39:20 PM

Heater core. PITA:D

What's the hardest car part you've installed solo?

Reply #29 – July 10, 2006, 10:52:45 PM

Quote from: thunderjet302

Heater core. PITA:D

That was part of my 5.0 swap... It was leaking anyway, and pulling the dash made the EEC harness' easier to remove/install...