CELEBRATING 20 YEARS!

im putting a 383 in place of the 350 in my 84 cl nxt week.im using everything on the front of the 305 on the new eng.i dont want to discharge the ac.can i unbolt everything directly from the front of the eng and leave it hanging?
or do i need to remove the ps pump and the ac compressor from their brackets to get them off?it sure would be nice just to remove a few bolts fron the front of the engine but i dont think it will be that easy.

When I switched to a 355 in my 86, I unbolted the A/C and P/s and tied them out of the way, good luck with your engine installation. Sorry, I don't have any pictures,it was nearly 20 years ago!

You can leave it connected. I pulled my 305 to reseal it and I just unbolted it from the mounts and left it hanging. You will need some extra hands while pulling out and putting the engine back in to make sure it's out of the way. The hardest part not crashing it into the AC radiator fins. Good luck!

Just a note, if you flex the hoses too much, there's a reasonable chance you will crack them and lose charge over the next few days. Certainly give it a shot, but just be aware of that and don't bend them more/farther than you have to.

so i can leave the ps pump and the ac compressor bolted the their brackets and reach all of the bolts to remove them as an assembly from the eng?

Probably need to take them loose from the brackets themselves but can leave hoses attached to pump and compressor.

Is this a serpentine or stock V belt accessories drive?

I would pull the hoses off the PS pump and get it out of the way, not a big deal to reinstall and bleed the system.

The thing with the A/C compressor is the original line set can be brittle and already showing cracking, and is very stiff and not very compliant to bending. Also the line that runs from the compressor to the condenser is short and wouldn't allow much relocation of the compressor.

Also it's a good idea to remove the rad to prevent damage. Again if you still are using the factory rad shroud the alum A/C line that runs across the top of the shroud can be damaged when you pull the engine if now careful. They are not available anywhere today other than used.

Is the A/C system working, and has been changed to 134?
Is the plan to pull just the engine and leave the trans in?
Bob

yes...leave the trans in

That makes it a little easier to get the old up and out without a lot of angle of the engine. But still difficult to get that compressor out of the way.
Bob

i guess put a board with a jack under the trans pan when i unbolt the eng untill the new one is in?

A board and floor jack can do the trick for the tranny.
I find it easier to detach the tranny, that way the engine install is only minutes, and you can wrestle the tranny into the engine with 2 people (w/ a board and floor jack) Then just 3 bolts for torque converter, and tranny mounts, exhaust, etc

we swapped it sat and sunday.it came out and went in easy.i think it could have been done with the rad in as well but we took the hoses off anyway