I think that I will soon be pulling the engine in my '79. I have a book that has the basics of pulling an engine, but nothing spesific to the camaro or one of my year. So if anyone could tell me what too look out for and other things I will need to know that would help a bunch.

Also I want to put an LT1 out of a 4th gen so if you guys know anything about putting one of those into a second gen I would appreciate your knowledge.

Pulling engine is easy, even if you haven't done it before. Things to remember:
1) Drain your fluids

2) make sure you have all hoses, electrical, driveshaft disconnected. Double check, then check again.

3) A digi-cam does wonders for making sure you put everything back the ways its supposed to be

4) plastic baggies and masking tape or labels is your best friend.

5) Get a book on rebuilding a small block chevy engine from the bookstore, and your haynes/chilton manual.

6) For your first time, get (KNOWLEDGEABLE) help if possible. You don't want to drop engine on your head or foot, but it's not rocketscience to do it yourself.

LT1: It will be a barrell of fun to pull an lt1 out of a 4th gen, I have heard. I would suggest getting one out of a caprice/impala if you MUST have one. As for installing one in a 2nd gen, please do a search, there are several people that have done this. If you have not even pulled an engine before, I suggest getting a normal rebuilt crate 350 from a machine shop/autozone/oreilly/scoggin-dickey. An LT1 will have some issues to deal with that you might not be ready for yet (EFI, A/C, notching subframe, etc) Keep in mind that besides making it go fast, you also have to repair/fix/upgrade all the stuff that the previous owner neglected OR repair/fixed/upgraded themselves....

Aren't most of the Caprice versions smaller displacement engines ....?

And I agree.....if you've never pulled a motor before, grafting in an LT1 would probably be a bit much for your skill level. There's nothing wrong with being a beginner, we all were at one time, but you would be better off sticking with an even swap.

[This message has been edited by need-for-speed (edited February 24, 2005).]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by need-for-speed:
Aren't most of the Caprice versions smaller displacement engines ....?

And I agree.....if you've never pulled a motor before, grafting in an LT1 would probably be a bit much for your skill level. There's nothing wrong with being a beginner, we all were at one time, but you would be better off sticking with an even swap.

[This message has been edited by need-for-speed (edited February 24, 2005).]</font>

Caprices could be had with a 5.7 350 cu in (code P) or a 4.3 265 cu in V8 (code W) which has the same stroke as a GM 302 from the 60's.

[This message has been edited by GoldenOne7710 (edited February 24, 2005).]

I did my first engine removal also in a 79z. It really was much easier than I expected. As has already been said
1) drain all fluids
2) disconnect and label everything going to the motor

I also highly recommend using an engine leveler. They will cost $30-$50 and worth every penny. I also removed engine and tranny as a unit. It was my first time and I’m eager to do it again someday.

Good luck

I thought the 93 to 96 (end of RWD) Caprices/Impalas could be had with LT1 option...Sorry for any misinformation

What is the best way of actually getting the engine out of the bay? I'm thinking the best way for me to do it is to rent an engine hoist and do that. I don't have a garage or anything where I could use a wench to pull it out and buying an engine hoist is way out of my price range. At least one this is quality. Any advice on this matter?

Check out how much it'll cost to rent the cherry picker (engine hoist) for 2 different day (1 to pull and 1 to reinstall). If more than $100 for both, check and see if there's a Pep Boys around. They're offering a hoist for $120 with a $10 rebate, and you won't have to worry about returning it by a certain time.

I have another question. There are a bunch of what I think are vacuum hoses. Some of them are brokem and I have no idea where they are supposed to go. I think they might have something to do with the emissions controls, if anyone has a diagram for these or could tell me what they are that would be great. Btw, you guys are great, thanks for all your help so far.

An engine hoist is definitely the way to go. I've rented them in the past (I own my own now). However, if you can buy one for $120, I would give serious consideration to buying it. As stated above, you will most likely have to rent one twice. Even if you had a new motor ready to drop in, it would be nice to have time to clean up your engine compartment, replace motor mounts, etc. while the engine is out.