<VV> Engine removing method

[judynrandy at comcast.net]

Here's my first engine removal method.  The small old "barn" only had half of the floor in flat concrete.  One quarter was still dirt  and the other quarter had concrete, but it looked like it was put in place by a bunch of drunken sailors who wrecked a cement truck in the door and spilled it in that quarter.  The first quarter in the door was the drunken sailor one, then the adjacent one was one of the flat ones.  What this means is that I had a limited space to roll anything.  So, I attached a chain to the rafters above.  I then constructed a "frame cart" similar to the one in "How to keep your Corvair alive".  Fortunately, I had another "real" cart that came from an old bakery that they used to move many and large bags of flour around with.  Capable of supporting much weight.  It was about 3' X 6' and made of 1/4 inch plate steel. Just perfect for moving and working on a Corvair drivetrain! 
I would attach a come-along to the chain above, then secure two straps.  I would attach one to the hole at the top of the bell housing and the other I would loop around the oil filter adapter.  This method required the unbolting of the front shroud to gain access to the bell housing.  I would jack up the back end of the car, put it on jack stands, then unhook everything needed for removal except the motor/trans mounts.  I would then roll in a floor jack and jack it up until it just started to raise the engine/drivetrain. 
I jacked at the bell housing.  I would then remove all the slack I could from the straps.  Then unbolt all the mounts.  Next, I would very slowly lower the drivetrain until any remaining slack was removed and it was just hanging there.  I then removed the floor jack and rolled in the "frame cart".  I then lowered the come-along until the drivetrain rested safely on the cart.  Unhooked everything and rolled out from under the car.  I then disassembled the drivetrain on the frame cart and reassembled it on the 'real' cart when the work was done.  I strong backed the trans and diff onto the cart and 'walked' the engine up a 2x8 plank by the bellhousing.  I had to put the wheels back on the car, lower it to the floor and push it forward a few feet to gain access to the chain/come-along to lift it from the 'real' cart back onto the 'frame cart'.  Then reverse the whole procedure to install the drivetrain. 
True, a pain to do it that way, but it worked.  I never lost a drivetrain.  Fortunately, the acquisition of a used motor crane a few years later greatly simplified the whole process. 
  
Randy (Cap'n) Hook