There are apparently differences in the carb, intake manifold sensors, and a thin metal plate that acts as a spacer between the engine and auto trans bellhousing. Everything else sounds like a bolt-up. I sold an engine from my crashed silver 87 Montero stick and it is now running in an 87 Raider automatic. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

thanks for i was told they would not bolt up [color:"blue"] [/color]

Bumping this up to the top because it has a lot of good info. However I have another question that I don't think got answered.

I'm pulling, then replacing, the engine and manual trans from my truck tomorrow. What's the best way to do it? Should I pull the engine out first then the trans? Trans first? Or pull them both out together?

Haven't done it myself, but you're supposed to me able to get it all out at once. I think those that have say don't try it without a leveler attachement to your engine hoist.

When I did mine, it was with the body off, so different deal there. I have since swapped the tranny twice. Did those from underneath with a motorcyle jack and a second pair of arms. Kevin C has a trick with using ratchet straps through the open door windowns and down underneath to hold the tranny.

You putting the 5-spd back in? If so, changing the clutch in the process? My CF clutch did not come with an alignment tool. I got the clutch in first time on the stand using a universal. Unfortunately, the pilot bearing let go later so I had to pull the tranny/clutch from underneath. That time, I had trouble with the undersal tool. And of course you don't know that until you are underneath muscling the tranny back in.

Last point being, I had a parts tranny so I took the input shaft off it and made what is now the absolute perfect alignment tool. Let me know if you want to borrow it.

Yeah, the orginal engine/trans are coming out and a brand new stock trans, Starion engine, new clutch, new flywheel, and all new exhasut are going in. I'm hoping that the plastic alignment tool that came with the clutch will work well enough. I was able to use them in the past on my Conquest and I do have a universal somewhere as a backup.

I think I may try to drop the trans out the bottom. I don't have a transmission jack, but that ratcheting strap trick sounds pretty good.

Thanks for the help. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

REAL good idea, McV.

When I dropped my engine back in, I had no alignment tool and thought maybe I'd get lucky and shoot it in there. Well, I heaved and pushed and pulled and cussed and bitched and moaned and finally...FINALLY...walked in the house and called the nearby Autostoned.

To my surprise, they had one in stock and it was three dollars.

Kicked myself in the ass all the way to the parts store.

The moral of the story when it comes to alignment tools is "if you ain't got one - get one."

I removed the head on mine to uninstall as it was shot anyhow. But, I put the new engine in with the head on. I had the machine shop that did the block work bolt it on and use their torque wrench. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Getting to those upper bellhousing bolts is a futhamucker with the head on, but it can be done. A 12mm wrench is not the ticket (as someone stated above). It's a 14. Get a good Craftsman or Snap-On with the same size on both ends but with the closed end having a bend in the shaft. You'll be able to get on the bolts past the firewall that way.

Slowly but surely wins that race.

I'm definitely not looking forward to to those top bellhousing bolts. I have the engine free'd up except for the bellhousing, starter, and fuel lines. I'll tackle that tomorrow.

Dadrab, I see that your running an intercooled Starion motor. Are you using the stock IC? How did you end up mounting it? I thought once I got the A/C condenser and fan out of the way I could mount the Starion IC behind the grill, but it's little tighter in there than I expected.

Do a body lift. With 2" on mine, I have no troble at all getting to the bellhousing bolts.

My I/C is stock quest, but with the pipe stubs on the I/C repositioned a little. Mine sits behind the grille and bumper, below the hood latch rigging. My oil cooler in on the pass side next to said hood latch rigging.

I used the Quest PS pump and mounted the reservoir up by the air can. Moved the rad overflow to do that. (OF Now on a bracket in front of the battery.)

I was just rereading this post from top to bottom, and a bell started ringing. I ran a post last Christmas which should go a long way to answering this. I'm not absolutely sure I understand everything I was told, and I have taken the project no further. I still have the '85 here in California, and now have the '84 running in Maine (Again a big 'thank you' to Russell).

Read the old post.

Differences in G54B engines

Yeah, my intercooler is stock from a Starion - AND I still have the AC condensor too. It gets pretty damned hot in Georgia at times.

I've got my oil cooler mounted high behind the grill, just to the LH side of center. I used the original oil cooler banjo bolts and the ones on the special fitting on the block, but I cut all the original lines loose and made new ones using high pressure tranny lines and double hose clamps. So - fittings old; hoses made to length.

The IC was a different critter all together. I'm using a stock Starquest unit with the original dumbass hard pipes intact. One of these days I'm going to have to mod it like McV's, but not today. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I made a set of brackets and mounted it low - like behind the front skid plate. It's almost low enough to where the IC bottom could rest on the inner bottom of the skid plate right where the bend is (where it goes back under the truck). I think there's about an inch of clearance there - maybe not that much. I'm also running a 3.0L skid plate that has a nice expanded metal grill in it (just under the bumper). That grill allows air to pass directly through the intercooler. And, the plate is a bolt up - no mods required.

Does that description make any sense? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> If not, I can try and snap a photo or two and send 'em to you.

Since I was keeping the condensor, it was really the only place that made sense.

What really gets interesting is the IC piping. I went and bought about $50 worth of formed radiator hoses with bends and twists that I thought I might need and coupled them with short lengths of straight exhaust pipe. I just returned the unmolested leftover pipes.

Because of the screwy configuration on those hard pipes on top of the IC, all my piping as to come from the RH side. By the time I got it all packed in there, the air can was ***** about its tight living quarters.

With a little rearranging, I did get it all under the hood, and, while my aircan still doesn't love me, it quit complaining. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> If you do the mod that McV and others have done, you can utilize some of the space on LH side of the radiator in the engine compartment. Plenty on that side - nothing left on the other in mine.

Some of the guys have even done hard pipes throughout. That'd be real nice. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />