step (1) buy a manual, the chevy shop manual is PREFERED
(step (2) THINK THINGS THRU.....work on a dry level concrete surface if you can, use floresent not incandesent lights under the corvette,thier far less likely to start fires
http://www.wiringproducts.com/?target=dept_166.html
disconnect both battery terminals, drain all oil and coolent, use quality jack stands and wheel chocks, put the parking break on, keep a fire extinguisher handy , make very sure the car can,t be knocked off the jack stands, which should be placed on the frame at all four corners,THINK THU EVERY MOVE,DON,T ALLOW YOUR HANDS INTO PLACES THAT WILL GET CRUSHED IF SOMETHING SLIPS OR BREAKS,
DON,T FORGET TO BRING DOZENS OF THOSE TIE ON LINEN TAGS TO LABEL EVERY CONNECTOR AS YOU REMOVE IT AS TO WHERE IT CONNECTS, USE a marker that gas and oil won,t make the ink run, AND USE A DIGITAL CAMERA TO TAKE DOZENS OF PICTURES AS YOU DO THE WIRE REMOVAL TO USE LATER AS A REFERANCE TO MAKE THE RE-INSTALL EASIER
BTW theres no way to write all the necessary info on the tag so just write a large number on the tag and then write all your info on a large pad with that number on the top of the page and the same number on the back of any photo if you can later when the pictures are developed or down loaded to your computer and printed out
remember to support the transmission, BEFORE you pull the engine , just letting it drop could cost you big$$$
keep a 5 gallon bucket around to throw ALL the bolts in with some deisel fuel (not gas) in it to clean the bolts BEFORE putting them in each labled plastic bag,AND YEAH! take the time to lable zip lock bags for each group of bolts also ,(bags like )(intake bolts)(header bolts)(accesories)(water pump)(motor mount)(bellhouseing) (head bolts)CAN HELP A GREAT DEAL IN GETTING THE CORRECT BOLTS BACK IN THE CORRECT SPOTS
clean all bolts before reuse with a mix of diesel/carb cleaner and a wire brush and look for worn or corroaded parts needing replavement
YOU DON,T NEED to pull the hood to pull the engine,(MOST CARS) but if you do,lightly dust the hood mount locations with white paint,this allows you to exactly replace the hood alighnment correctly by showing exactly how they were previously installed (RECOVER(REPAINT) AFTER THE HOODS REPLACED WITH BLACK paint AGAIN)
take lots of notes and pictures, lable every connection
its far easier with two people!
adding an engine leveler and swivel to your engine crane makes things far easier
adding a swivel like this between the leveler and crane GREATLY AIDS THE ENGINES REMOVAL, DON,T GET STUPID or CHEAP, GET THE 3400lb rated one not the 1200lb size (REMEMBER YOULL BE UNDER THAT ENGINE SOMETIMES)
youll need two of these rated at similar load strength[/b]
the question almost always goes like this
"whats the proper way to safely work under the corvette? the ramps I have skid away from the tires as I try to roll up on them, and the jack scratches or dents my cross member, I can,t get the floor jack under the corvette, where do I place the jack stands, how high should the vette be?ETC."
lets talk
jack stands first, need to have a wide base and allow significant under car clearance to work, I can and do HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting 4 of these JACK STANDS as they are significantly larger and stronger and far harder to tip over than the average auto parts store JUNK most guys use
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34924
yeah I KNOW your first idea is , the 6 ton stands are cheaper and the corvette only weights 3500lbs so why the 12 ton stands???? trust me here!!! the 12 ton stands allow both a significantly larger under car clearance and they have a much wider base making them MUCH safer, spend the extra few bucks!!! its well worth it!! and the jack stands need to be placed solidly on the frame in four widely spaced locations, I normally use the locations chevy suggests in the user manual , but two widely spaced on the front (K) member and TWO on the rearv frame seems ok also
if your going to get under the car SAFELY you need QUALITY jack stands, a QUALITY FLOOR JACK and RAMPS to allow you to roll the jack under the vette!
if your like me , and own a C-4 corvette (I OWN 3 C-4 corvettes) youve more than likely found that a typical floor jack won,t roll under the corvette unless its up on ramps first and that RAMPS tend to skid away from the tires as you try to drive up on them
heres the solution
first buy the (4 )12 ton jack stands, so you can work under the vette safely
buy these or similar ramps
http://www.autobarn.net/rodi/usm11905.html
they are light weight plastic but rated at 8000 lbs (you only use them to get the jack under the corvette NOT YOU! and no you don,t work under the corvette with them, and to keep them from sliding away from the tires the solution is simple, you buy 0ne 36" long rubber mat, cut it into two 36" long and 10" wide sections and CONTACT CEMENT/GLUE them to the rhino ramps so that about 18" is on the concrete in front of the ramp and 18" is glued to the upper surface of the ramp, so the vettes tires are on the mat before the car starts to go up the ramp thus TRAPPING the ramp in place as the tire starts up the ramp useing the vettes weight it self
next the floor jack, youve got lots of choices but get a good one!
sears has a reasonably good quality 3-4 ton floor jack that comes with two jack stands( these you can use to support the trans or rear end while the good 12 ton stands support the vettes frame) it costs about $99-$160 I have two in the shop. and that frame dent problem is easily avoided if you GLUE a 6" x 6" X 1" thick section of old truck tire thats FREELY available on most interstates as BLOW OUT SCRAP to the jack pad with contact cement!
http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products__att259818--41004963-3557808,cat_id--22000500,keyword--floor jack,lp--1,mkt_id--16867906,rf--fwa.html
remember its your BUTT/life thats under that vette and if it falls your the guy getting squashed like a bug! think ! do it correctly
I think youll find these very handy if you work on cars and don,t have a lift
BTW the 12 ton stands are VASTLY PREFERED as they have a WIDER BASE and EXTRA STRENGTH,(if IM GOING UNDER A CAR I DON,T WANT TO BENCH PRESS THE DAMN THING TO GET OUT FROM UNDER IT)
how much is you LIFE WORTH,BUY THE !12 ton RATED STANDS they are MUCH safer than the 3-6 ton stands IF ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE FAR HARDER TO TIP OVER IF SOMEONE ROCKS THE CAR!
2 Piece Set
These super heavy duty jack stands will hold most cars and trucks safely over 2 feet off the ground. Perfect for repair work or storage.
Height: 19-1/2'' to 30-1/8''
Base: 12'' x 12-1/2''
Weight: 68 lbs.
THIS ABOVE IS RIGHT OFF THE HF WEB SITE
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=34924
second, thing is IVE used a set of four very similar 12 ton jack stands from NORTHERN TOOL for years, with no problems what so ever , and when they are in their low setting they are at about the right height to allow you to work under the corvette
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...19&categoryId=0
Torin Pair of 12–Ton Jack Stands
2 heavy–duty steel jack stands at one low price! Double locking pawl and tooth design for extra protection. Minimum height is 18 1/8in. Maximum height is 28in.
In Stock
Ship Wt. 63.0 lbs
Item# 144872
Discount Price... $64.99
Sale Price... $54.99
110% Guaranteed Lowest Price!
youll be getting them at a significant discount if they price match, which they should
"Grumpy you stressed taking pictures of the wiring harness. Is this more of a problem with C4 vettes than C3 vettes?"
taking notes and taking pictures during the process is ALWAYS a good IDEA , but your correct a c3 is far simpler and an experianced mechanic may not NEED pictures and notes but the mear fact your asking would lead me to think its an excellent IDEA!!
"Also, I had no idea that the car had to be lifted off of the ground. Is it necessary to lift the car if you're leaving the trans in place?"
lets just say its far more difficult with the corvette on the ground, theres a good deal of the connections/bolts that are much easier to reach from the bottom,with a vette up on jackstands
"
Also, you said that the hood doesn't necessarily have to come off. Is this true for C3s also?"
yes, but necessary and easier are differant things, on a c-3 its not necessary but it is easier to pull the hood
"Now, if you have a ultra heavy duty engine hoist with the super long lift arm, you can go straight from the front and pull it."
thats one good example of why those cheap/dangerous engine cranes are a bad value, it just does NOT cost that much extra to buy a decent engine crane , think about it, a decent engine crane/hoist and those 12 ton jack stands allow both the extra clearance under the car and the extra reach/height to much more easily and safely remove the engine.
adding a swivel like this between the leveler and crane GREATLY AIDS THE ENGINES REMOVAL, DON,T GET STUPID or CHEAP, GET THE 3400lb rated one not the 1200lb size (REMEMBER YOULL BE UNDER THAT ENGINE SOMETIMES)
youll need two of these rated at similar load strength
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_19703_19703
now the engine crane I have in the shop is vaugely similar to the one above and is no longer made but its got a 72" -100" reach weights easily 350 lbs and an 8 ton hydrolic ram, I paid $370 for it 15 years ago and it was worth every cent
having several or at least 4 of these shoulder eye bolts in 3/8" NC thread are a huge help
use 4 1600 lb rated screw links to connect the chains from the engine tilter to the shoulder eye bolts
having a swivel hook on your engine cranes almost mandatory,as it allows you to easily spin the engine alignment
and obviously a decent engine tilter is a good idea, as it allows engine angle changes, just remember the crank handle faces away from the windshield , and the tilter screw thread bar requires moly lube grease
(step (2) THINK THINGS THRU.....work on a dry level concrete surface if you can, use floresent not incandesent lights under the corvette,thier far less likely to start fires
http://www.wiringproducts.com/?target=dept_166.html
disconnect both battery terminals, drain all oil and coolent, use quality jack stands and wheel chocks, put the parking break on, keep a fire extinguisher handy , make very sure the car can,t be knocked off the jack stands, which should be placed on the frame at all four corners,THINK THU EVERY MOVE,DON,T ALLOW YOUR HANDS INTO PLACES THAT WILL GET CRUSHED IF SOMETHING SLIPS OR BREAKS,
DON,T FORGET TO BRING DOZENS OF THOSE TIE ON LINEN TAGS TO LABEL EVERY CONNECTOR AS YOU REMOVE IT AS TO WHERE IT CONNECTS, USE a marker that gas and oil won,t make the ink run, AND USE A DIGITAL CAMERA TO TAKE DOZENS OF PICTURES AS YOU DO THE WIRE REMOVAL TO USE LATER AS A REFERANCE TO MAKE THE RE-INSTALL EASIER
BTW theres no way to write all the necessary info on the tag so just write a large number on the tag and then write all your info on a large pad with that number on the top of the page and the same number on the back of any photo if you can later when the pictures are developed or down loaded to your computer and printed out
remember to support the transmission, BEFORE you pull the engine , just letting it drop could cost you big$$$
keep a 5 gallon bucket around to throw ALL the bolts in with some deisel fuel (not gas) in it to clean the bolts BEFORE putting them in each labled plastic bag,AND YEAH! take the time to lable zip lock bags for each group of bolts also ,(bags like )(intake bolts)(header bolts)(accesories)(water pump)(motor mount)(bellhouseing) (head bolts)CAN HELP A GREAT DEAL IN GETTING THE CORRECT BOLTS BACK IN THE CORRECT SPOTS
clean all bolts before reuse with a mix of diesel/carb cleaner and a wire brush and look for worn or corroaded parts needing replavement
YOU DON,T NEED to pull the hood to pull the engine,(MOST CARS) but if you do,lightly dust the hood mount locations with white paint,this allows you to exactly replace the hood alighnment correctly by showing exactly how they were previously installed (RECOVER(REPAINT) AFTER THE HOODS REPLACED WITH BLACK paint AGAIN)
take lots of notes and pictures, lable every connection
its far easier with two people!
adding an engine leveler and swivel to your engine crane makes things far easier
adding a swivel like this between the leveler and crane GREATLY AIDS THE ENGINES REMOVAL, DON,T GET STUPID or CHEAP, GET THE 3400lb rated one not the 1200lb size (REMEMBER YOULL BE UNDER THAT ENGINE SOMETIMES)
youll need two of these rated at similar load strength[/b]
the question almost always goes like this
"whats the proper way to safely work under the corvette? the ramps I have skid away from the tires as I try to roll up on them, and the jack scratches or dents my cross member, I can,t get the floor jack under the corvette, where do I place the jack stands, how high should the vette be?ETC."
lets talk
jack stands first, need to have a wide base and allow significant under car clearance to work, I can and do HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting 4 of these JACK STANDS as they are significantly larger and stronger and far harder to tip over than the average auto parts store JUNK most guys use
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=34924
yeah I KNOW your first idea is , the 6 ton stands are cheaper and the corvette only weights 3500lbs so why the 12 ton stands???? trust me here!!! the 12 ton stands allow both a significantly larger under car clearance and they have a much wider base making them MUCH safer, spend the extra few bucks!!! its well worth it!! and the jack stands need to be placed solidly on the frame in four widely spaced locations, I normally use the locations chevy suggests in the user manual , but two widely spaced on the front (K) member and TWO on the rearv frame seems ok also
if your going to get under the car SAFELY you need QUALITY jack stands, a QUALITY FLOOR JACK and RAMPS to allow you to roll the jack under the vette!
if your like me , and own a C-4 corvette (I OWN 3 C-4 corvettes) youve more than likely found that a typical floor jack won,t roll under the corvette unless its up on ramps first and that RAMPS tend to skid away from the tires as you try to drive up on them
heres the solution
first buy the (4 )12 ton jack stands, so you can work under the vette safely
buy these or similar ramps
http://www.autobarn.net/rodi/usm11905.html
they are light weight plastic but rated at 8000 lbs (you only use them to get the jack under the corvette NOT YOU! and no you don,t work under the corvette with them, and to keep them from sliding away from the tires the solution is simple, you buy 0ne 36" long rubber mat, cut it into two 36" long and 10" wide sections and CONTACT CEMENT/GLUE them to the rhino ramps so that about 18" is on the concrete in front of the ramp and 18" is glued to the upper surface of the ramp, so the vettes tires are on the mat before the car starts to go up the ramp thus TRAPPING the ramp in place as the tire starts up the ramp useing the vettes weight it self
next the floor jack, youve got lots of choices but get a good one!
sears has a reasonably good quality 3-4 ton floor jack that comes with two jack stands( these you can use to support the trans or rear end while the good 12 ton stands support the vettes frame) it costs about $99-$160 I have two in the shop. and that frame dent problem is easily avoided if you GLUE a 6" x 6" X 1" thick section of old truck tire thats FREELY available on most interstates as BLOW OUT SCRAP to the jack pad with contact cement!
http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products__att259818--41004963-3557808,cat_id--22000500,keyword--floor jack,lp--1,mkt_id--16867906,rf--fwa.html
remember its your BUTT/life thats under that vette and if it falls your the guy getting squashed like a bug! think ! do it correctly
I think youll find these very handy if you work on cars and don,t have a lift
BTW the 12 ton stands are VASTLY PREFERED as they have a WIDER BASE and EXTRA STRENGTH,(if IM GOING UNDER A CAR I DON,T WANT TO BENCH PRESS THE DAMN THING TO GET OUT FROM UNDER IT)
how much is you LIFE WORTH,BUY THE !12 ton RATED STANDS they are MUCH safer than the 3-6 ton stands IF ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE FAR HARDER TO TIP OVER IF SOMEONE ROCKS THE CAR!
2 Piece Set
These super heavy duty jack stands will hold most cars and trucks safely over 2 feet off the ground. Perfect for repair work or storage.
Height: 19-1/2'' to 30-1/8''
Base: 12'' x 12-1/2''
Weight: 68 lbs.
THIS ABOVE IS RIGHT OFF THE HF WEB SITE
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=34924
second, thing is IVE used a set of four very similar 12 ton jack stands from NORTHERN TOOL for years, with no problems what so ever , and when they are in their low setting they are at about the right height to allow you to work under the corvette
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...19&categoryId=0
Torin Pair of 12–Ton Jack Stands
2 heavy–duty steel jack stands at one low price! Double locking pawl and tooth design for extra protection. Minimum height is 18 1/8in. Maximum height is 28in.
In Stock
Ship Wt. 63.0 lbs
Item# 144872
Discount Price... $64.99
Sale Price... $54.99
110% Guaranteed Lowest Price!
youll be getting them at a significant discount if they price match, which they should
"Grumpy you stressed taking pictures of the wiring harness. Is this more of a problem with C4 vettes than C3 vettes?"
taking notes and taking pictures during the process is ALWAYS a good IDEA , but your correct a c3 is far simpler and an experianced mechanic may not NEED pictures and notes but the mear fact your asking would lead me to think its an excellent IDEA!!
"Also, I had no idea that the car had to be lifted off of the ground. Is it necessary to lift the car if you're leaving the trans in place?"
lets just say its far more difficult with the corvette on the ground, theres a good deal of the connections/bolts that are much easier to reach from the bottom,with a vette up on jackstands
"
Also, you said that the hood doesn't necessarily have to come off. Is this true for C3s also?"
yes, but necessary and easier are differant things, on a c-3 its not necessary but it is easier to pull the hood
"Now, if you have a ultra heavy duty engine hoist with the super long lift arm, you can go straight from the front and pull it."
thats one good example of why those cheap/dangerous engine cranes are a bad value, it just does NOT cost that much extra to buy a decent engine crane , think about it, a decent engine crane/hoist and those 12 ton jack stands allow both the extra clearance under the car and the extra reach/height to much more easily and safely remove the engine.
adding a swivel like this between the leveler and crane GREATLY AIDS THE ENGINES REMOVAL, DON,T GET STUPID or CHEAP, GET THE 3400lb rated one not the 1200lb size (REMEMBER YOULL BE UNDER THAT ENGINE SOMETIMES)
youll need two of these rated at similar load strength
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_19703_19703
now the engine crane I have in the shop is vaugely similar to the one above and is no longer made but its got a 72" -100" reach weights easily 350 lbs and an 8 ton hydrolic ram, I paid $370 for it 15 years ago and it was worth every cent
having several or at least 4 of these shoulder eye bolts in 3/8" NC thread are a huge help
use 4 1600 lb rated screw links to connect the chains from the engine tilter to the shoulder eye bolts
having a swivel hook on your engine cranes almost mandatory,as it allows you to easily spin the engine alignment
and obviously a decent engine tilter is a good idea, as it allows engine angle changes, just remember the crank handle faces away from the windshield , and the tilter screw thread bar requires moly lube grease
Last edited by a moderator: