This was the one I was a bit anxious about, as I had removed the engine and gearbox separately in a mechanics workshop with his help and his hoist and transmission jack and countless socket extensions. I had none of those, but after searching the forum it seemed most people did the install with the engine and gearbox connected. This is my experience to add to the body of information. Unfortunately I was so focussed on the task I forgot to take photos! Hopefully this description paints a good enough picture.
Start point:-
Engine - on an engine stand; exhaust manifold, carb/inlet manifold and distributor removed - didn't want to risk anything catching my new paintwork!
Gearbox - on a work bench; shift lever and rear mount removed.
Car - on axle stands about 8" higher than normal ground clearance; centre steering link and radiator removed; heavy blankets protecting the firewall and front bodywork.
Because I knew my hired engine hoist didn't have a leveller, I figured I would use a heavy duty (2200KG) ratchet strap (soft fabric, no damage) as a sling to lift the engine. The engine was horizontal on the engine stand, but I needed the engine/gearbox to hang at about a 45 degree angle, so I placed the sling just behind the bulge in the sump, but kept the engine hoist hook more towards the front of the engine so the sling was on an angle to the engine. I used a 1" strap as a "belt" around the cam towers to squeeze the sling to provide some friction against the cam towers and keep it between the manifold studs to stop it tipping too far if things went pear shaped. I ran another 1" strap through the lifting eye at the front of the engine up to the hook - this would stop the engine tipping frontwards once it came of the engine stand.
Once the engine came off the stand I could install the flywheel and clutch. I didn't have an alignment tool so I fashioned one by grinding down a paint stirrer handle. Crude but surprisingly effective!
I had to use yet another strap wrapped around the toothed edge of the flywheel and anchored at both ends to the feet of the engine hoist to prevent the motor from turning while I torqued the flywheel bolts - there must be a tool for this!
With the gearbox level on the bench, and the engine level on the hoist and the clutch properly aligned, it was a simple job to bolt them together.
In order to install the starter motor I had to place the engine/gearbox on the workbench and reposition the sling to run between the engine and the starter motor. I also looped another 1" strap around the front of the cam towers to behind the shift lever housing - this would rub against the underside of the tunnel to prevent the gearbox from snagging once the shift lever housing was beyond the firewall.
Lifting the whole engine gearbox/engine assembly off the bench it hung at an angle which was not quite steep enough, but by pushing down on the gearbox, the engine swung on the hook to whatever angle we needed. So with my wife providing an extra pair of eyes to ensure we weren't going to hit anything, we were slowly able to lower the engine into place.
We had to get it to quite a steep angle to get the shift lever housing into the tunnel without catching the sump on the front body cross member, and there is not a lot of clearance so protecting the paintwork is definitely recommended! But once the sump was below the body cross member it was easy to ease it down a bit and along a bit, with the extra strap keeping the shifter housing clear of the tunnel, until I could prop the back of the gearbox on a block to keep it roughly level.
Because of the weight of the alternator and the starter motor being on the same side, the engine automatically hung with the driver side lower, which meant we could drop the engine onto the driver side engine mount first, then lower it further to align the passenger side engine mount. Then attach the rear gearbox mount, and it's in.
From start to finish took maybe 4 hours, no damage and no heart palpitations. As a rookie, I'm happy with that!
