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Sling Positioning for TR-2 Motor/Tranny Removal

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Mark_Gibson

Mark_Gibson

Jedi Trainee
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I'm about ready to pull the engine and transmission on my TR-2 and of course the picture in the service manual showing sling positioning on the engine is worthless. Any advice an where the chains need to go, both in front and back? I know the assembly has to come out nose up. I just figured it would be much easier to learn from those who have gone before me!! Thanks in advance..
 
Hi Mark,

I'm not 100% certain if it's the same on TR2, but on the later 4 cyl. TRs there are two brackets. The front one is bolted to the backside of the engine mounting plate/timing chain cover, just ahead of the distributor. At the rear, there is a loop bracket that attaches under the left rear cyl. head nut and the rear-most exhaust manifold stud. I'm sure these would work on the earlier car, even if there was another arrangement initially. If not original to the car, both brackets could later be removed, most TR3-4A have these brackets in place all the time.

I use an engine leveller to make the job *much* easier, because, as you noted, the motor/gearbox need to be tilted while pulling them out. There are several types of levellers on the market, all will do the trick when it comes to lifting the engine. The one I use is an Oberg Tilt Lift, simply because it's compact and stores nicely in a toolbox drawer.

If you are planning to remove the body from the frame, you might wait to remove the engine/gearbox. It's super easy without the body on.

Cheers!

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
 
Alan nailed it! I second all he said. I would only add that if you are leaving the body on, to make sure the radiator is removed.
 
Re: Sling Positioning for TR-2 Motor/Tranny Remova

I am leaving the body on for now as I need to have a rolling chassis to take to the media blasters and then to the paint shop. The entire front end is off the car, including the radiator and front frame cross support. The engine doesn't have any brackets installed, but I'm sure I can scrounge a couple from Mark at British Auto for the removal. Thanks for the advice...
 
Re: Sling Positioning for TR-2 Motor/Tranny Remova

A quick trip to the local u-pull-it will probably yeild a couple of bolt on hooks that are sometimes mounted on engines from the factory. I can't offer any specific cars to look for, but they shoulden't be too hard to find.
 
Re: Sling Positioning for TR-2 Motor/Tranny Remova

Mark - If you are planning to up-date the front suspension, you will be glad you still have the engine on the bare fame. Without the weight of the engine, you can't compress the springs to take apart (or put back together again) the front suspension. Graham, the group leader of our sidecreen TR restoration group had to place patio tiles about 3 feet high on his newly re-painted frame to "simulate" the weight of the engine to do his.

Don
 
Mark, I used a crank-style leveler that has a threaded rod down the middle. The hoist I borrowed from a friend didn't have a leveler so I bought this for him (surprisingly cheap) so I can use the hoist again (have no room for storing one). I removed and installed my engine/tranny by myself with this leveling device on my TR6 with zero problems and few scary moments. A word of advice, I removed the wheels on my TR6 and lowered the front of the car substantially lower than the rear to make the angle of approach of the engine less acute. I built a thick rectangle out of 4x4 timbers to set the whole engine/tranny unit on, sans oil pan. Gives you a good place to set the unit down on and makes removing the tranny stable and easy. The engine just rested on the perimeter of the wooden frame. If you aren't going to take the engine down now, no need to bolt it to an engine stand and you can leave the tranny attached. The wheeled hoist was easy enough to manuever around my one-car garage so I could lower the unit down onto the floor on this box.

Bill
 
Hi again Mark,

The lifting brackets you need can be seen at https://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29116, items #62 and #63. The front bracket is usually left in place on TR engines (I recommend using Grade 8 fasteners here). The rear one is often removed and omitted when head work is done while the engine is in the car. Both these brackets should be pretty easy and cheap to find used. Two possibilities are Ted Schumacher at tsimportedautomotive.com or triumphsonly.com if you don't have a local source.

I'm not all that wild about the original rear bracket using that head stud, because I hate to un-torque just one to remove or install the bracket. IMHO, there's the possiblity of warping the head or at least ruining the head gasket seal, but I've never actually had a problem. The bracket interferes with the exhaust header/manifold, too, so has to come off when removing that. So I've been working on a different design for a rear bracket in my TR4, that attaches to the flange just above the starter. However, there are some clearance issues with the firewall, heater hoses and throttle linkage, still to be resolved.

Since you have the front clip off the body, engine removal should be pretty easy. Instead of a big engine hoist, I use a half ton chain hoist hanging from my garage ceiling. A pair of these also allow me to lift the body off the frame quite easily. When it come to the engine/gearbox though, I only use one, tilting a little as the assembly lifts, and then roll the car out from underneath. Piece of cake and a one-man job... although for safety's sake a second person should be around!

Probably you'll run into some difficulty getting the front engine mounts to slip out of the holes in the front engine plate. Some levering or prying is usually necessary and more difficult with old, hardened rubber mounts. I'm not sure if the TR2 has the engine torque-limiting bracket on it, down at the bottom of the front plate, on the RH side. If so, that needs to be removed entirely before trying to lift the engine out.

I'm also not certain if any of TR2 steering gear needs to come out, even if temporarily, while removing the engine. Removing the steering rack makes engine removal easier on TR4, but isn't really mandatory.

A complete TR 4-cyl. engine weighs a bit over 400 lbs and the gearbox adds about 90 (120 for overdrive g'box). So, whatever you lift with, keep this total in mind.

Don, so long as you use a spring compressor, there is no problem installing the entire front suspension with or without the engine and/or body on the frame. I've done it several times. While it is possible to use the car's weight to install *some* types of springs, I'd never do so since it's safer to use a homemade, <$10 spring compressor made of a lenght of threaded rod and a few nuts and washers bought at a local hardware store.

It *is* important to go back to loosen and re-tighten all the fastenings at bushed pivot points, once the full normally laden weight of the car is back on the suspension. Otherwise, the bushings might bind in the wrong area of suspension travel.

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif.
'62 TR4 CT17602L
 
Re: Sling Positioning for TR-2 Motor/Tranny Remova

Thanks for all the pointers guys...I'll let you know how I make out this weekend.
 
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