[Rich Biebel]

For engine install on a stock LT-1......I made a spreader bar and attached 4 chains to it and bolted them to the 4 corner exhaust holes on the heads. Attached the bar to my engine hoist as tight as possible to the top of manifold. Nothing on the front of the engine and radiator/shroud out. No water pump, distributer or balancer Engine just squeezes in and I did not remove the hood.....just remove the strut clips and stand the hood up with a broom handle. Sparkplug access was pretty bad on #5 and I made a wrench to fit. It was easier to get it out from underneath with Hedman stepped headers. I removed steering box mounting bolts on drivers side to get header on easier and not scratch up the coating. I replaced valve springs on the car. Front half of engine is easy, rear half is a little tougher. An old style spring compressor works mint for the back cylinders and a lever type works fine on the front ones. The old one I think was a K-D item and is a clamp type with legs that hook the bottom of the spring. It has a wheel and screw arrangement that you use to compress the spring. Works good for small diameter stock type springs. Under the hood is not that bad..... interior work and under the dash is torture. Jacking it up is a chore also with the long nose.......Nice cars that work well and are fun to drive. If I had a lift available for working on mine it would have made working on it a lot easier and I might have kept it........