How to Remove and Install Gen III LS Engines: Tips and Tricks

Here’s what it will look like when you successfully remove the engine from an F-car — the engine sitting on a cart underneath the vehicle after a minimum of frustration and expense.

The tools shown here will make the removal and reinstallation easier. The ratcheting open-end wrenches are for the fasteners in the tight areas. The radiator hook tool or angle pick is used to release the many electrical connector clips and hose clamps. A clutching cordless drill with a 3/8- inch drive will assist in removing the many smaller bolts, and the remote hose clamp depressor is a specialized tool that isn’t required, but it helps out with some of the harder-toreach hose clamps.

1. To make a long story short, the Camaro/Firebird body needs to be lifted off of the front cradle-mounted engine/transmission combo. To start the process, the vehicle needs to be put up on a four-point lift. This undercar shot shows where to place the four pickup points of the lift. Notice the aftermarket long-tube headers and performance exhaust, along with the subframe connectors and driveshaft loop – this car is fast!

2. As a rule of thumb, whenever working on a vehicle, disconnect the battery cables to prevent stray sparks or voltage from damaging the electronic equipment or starting a fire.

3. The coolant is the first fluid that needs to be drained from the vehicle when removing the engine. If the engine is going to be torn down once removed, now is also a good time to drain the oil. To drain the coolant, open the petcock at the bottom of the radiator on the passenger side of the vehicle (indicated by the finger in the picture). As a note, the Gen III V-8 uses a 50/50 mix of Dexcool and water.

4. The next components to be removed are the air cleaner housing and mass airflow (MAF) sensor. This vehicle has an aftermarket SLP air cleaner box, but it installs in the stock fashion. To remove, unclip the airbox clamps at the front and loosen the rear-most hose clamp.

5. Next, remove the upper radiator hoses using pliers to compress the clamps and sliding them back from the radiator mounting tube. These clamps can be reused.

6. To remove the throttle cable, use the radiator hook tool to push on the locking tab through a hole in the bracket towards rear of the vehicle. With the locking tab released, slide the cable anchor up and out of the bracket.

7. Unloop the throttle cable from the throttle body arm and slide the cable end out the access slot to remove it from the anchor point.

8. Removing the fuel line requires a special tool. This hand-held plastic tool works fine, but there are metal hand tools also available from tool retailers. Start by clipping the tool onto the manifold side of the fuel line.

9. Pull the fuel line removal tool toward the vehicle feed line to release the tangs holding it in place. At the same time, push the feed line toward the removal tool. Once the tool is fully seated, you can remove the feed line from the manifold fitting — but be careful, as this line will probably be under pressure. Cover the joint with a rag and release it slowly to gently bleed off pressure.

10. Simply pull the brake booster hose off the vacuum booster by hand.

11. The purge selenoid has a hose connection on it that you can remove by pinching the circular loop to release the clamp (fingers). Try to pull it while gently wiggling it to make it easier to remove. Remove the coil wiring connector first to give yourself more room to take the line apart.

12. The AIR system valve is electronically actuated, so remove its wiring connector by lifting the locking tang and pulling it off (finger). The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve control also has a hose going into the control— pull it off at this time.

13. Using a 13-mm flare-nut wrench, remove these two brake lines from the ABS module. Push the lines toward the engine, as they will be dropped out of the vehicle with the engine cradle. As a tip, there are clips behind the sheetmetal shield that hold the brake lines to the frame down near the exhaust. Remove the 10-mm nut that retains the shield, and then pop the lines out of the clips.

14. Using a socket on an extension, remove the two 15-mm nuts holding the brake master cylinder on the booster, and push the master cylinder toward the engine (shown moved). This allows access to remove the two Torx 50 shock-tower nuts under the master cylinder. You should remove the rest of the shock tower bolts (13- mm hex heads) just before you lift the vehicle off the engine/front cradle/suspension assembly, but do these two bolts now.

15. Using a 7/16-inch socket, remove this bolt holding the intermediate steering shaft in place. The steering knuckle can be removed either here or at the lower point on the shaft. Removing it here is a better idea since it makes it easier to reinstall. Reinstalling it at the lower point on the shaft is also good because there are two flats on the shaft that make getting the steering back together with the steering wheel clocked in the “right” location a 50/50 proposition — you choose.

16. Here are all the plugs to unhook on the passenger side of the engine bay to remove the LS1 from an F-body: the two PCM plugs, all the smaller plugs in the foreground, and the plug on the right that is the A/C clutch WOT override. The two PCM connectors each have a 7-mm bolt to hold them in place. Use a socket to loosen them — the bolts are nested so they won’t come out of the connectors. To remove the connectors, touch the vehicle to ground yourself, then carefully work the connectors out of the PCM. To remove the PCM, slide it out of its holder and carefully work it past the lower portion of the windshield and passenger-side shock tower.

17. Remove the PCM mount (in hands) by taking out the two 10-mm hex-head bolts going into the shock tower sheetmetal.

18. Here’s a big timesaver. There are two wire bundles that run into the interior through a grommet on the lower portion of the firewall behind the passenger- side wheelhouse. You need to disconnect these to remove the engine. GM recommends pulling apart half the interior to get to these connectors. Many hot-rodders instead remove the firewall wiring grommet and carefully pull the wiring into the engine bay. There is just enough wire to get the connectors into the engine bay, allowing you to disconnect them without touching the interior. Be careful the plugs coming from the interior don’t fall back through the firewall. You can avoid this by zip-tying them to the engine-bay wiring. To reinstall, plug the wiring connectors back together, feed the wiring back into the interior, and slit the grommet to get it back into the firewall.

19. Now, the A/C compressor bolts can be removed. Start with the top two 15- mm bolts on the A/C bracket from the top of the engine bay. The bottom two 15-mm bolts are easier to remove from under the vehicle. Then swing the A/C compressor and adjoining hoses towards the front of the vehicle and hang the pump from the radiator core support with a coat hanger or zip ties so the hoses don’t have to be unhooked from the vehicle. This way, you won’t have to recharge the A/C system later.

20. Next, you can remove the two 13- mm hex-head bolts holding the starter in place. Carefully unhook the wiring, taking note of where all the wires go, and set the starter aside.

21. The best way we’ve seen to remove the connector for the crankshaft position sensor is to slide a straight pick through the tang on the clip next to the engine, then pry the retaining clip open while pulling on it. Also, remove the bolt holding the ground wire on the engine and unclip the O2 sensor pigtail going to the exhaust, which isn’t shown, but it’s in the same area.

22. Lift the retention tang off the oil level sensor connector and pull it off the sensor.

23. Release the front sway bar from the chassis by removing the four 13- mm bolts holding it in place. Let the sway bar hang on the engine cradle. A good way to keep from losing the bolts is to put them back in the mounts.

24. There are numerous ground straps tying the powertrain and vehicle together, like this one (finger pointing to it), and they all need to be disconnected before you remove the engine. Watch for them as you go through the removal process, as the ones you miss will be torn off when the lift goes up!

25. Working from underneath the front subframe and behind the alternator, use a 13-mm flex socket on a 10-inch ratchet extension to remove the constant power wire nut (in hand) that hooks up to the back of the alternator.

26. The Camaro, Firebird, and Corvette all have a hydraulic throwout bearing line equipped with a quick disconnect at the transmission (it’s the copper-colored connector on the braided steel line). This can be removed by using the radiator hook tool to push in on the Teflon release sleeve and carefully pull the disconnect off the transmission.

27. Here are the male and female portions of the quick disconnect. You can really see how the release sleeve slides over the little retention tangs to free up the disconnect.

28. On an automatic transmission vehicle, now is when you would remove the shifter cable from the transmission shift arm and its mount. This is done by prying the end off the shift arm. Then, use the radiator hook tool to pull up on the lock pin (a gray component at the top of the anchor point) in the cable housing to release the lock it has on the mount. Also, on an automatic vehicle, take off the three 15-mm torque converter bolts accessed through the opening where the starter used to be. This can be done through the small access hole in the transmission housing – but it’s easier through the hole where the starter used to be.

29. The exhaust Y-pipe now needs to be disconnected and removed. This vehicle is for off-road use, so the catalytic converters have been removed. For on-road vehicles, the exhaust from the catalytic converter on the back also needs to be removed at this time.

30. Now is the time to remove the driveshaft. Remove the U-joint bolt-on caps at the front of the rear end and slide the driveshaft forward slightly to release it from the pinion. If the rear end is hanging at full droop, getting enough clearance might be difficult. To get the driveshaft loose, you might need to remove the U-joint bearing caps for extra clearance. A good tip is to put the caps back on right away and use electrical tape to hold them in place while you work on the rest of the vehicle so the needle bearings don’t fall out of the caps.

31. Here’s one trick that will save you considerable time. GM suggests removing the trans to get the rear-end torque-arm connection loose. To avoid removing the trans separately, take out the top bolt on the trans-mounted torque-arm bracket and bend the bracket to the side so the bushing will barely clear the bracket. While this vehicle has an aftermarket torque arm, the stock piece would respond to the same process.

32. Using some raw manpower, work the torque arm a little towards the driver-side of the vehicle. Don’t try to do it all at once. Slide the bushing past the clamp anchor on the trans a little and raise the vehicle a little. Then keep following this process until the bushing is above the trans shifter box. This should give you room to drop the engine and trans together.

33. Disconnect the oil pressure sender at the back of the intake on top of the valley plate (in fingers). You also need to disconnect the hose plugged into the manifold pressure sender, located just below the finger in the picture.

34. Next, remove the front wheel speed sensors. They’re located near the rear of the lower A-arm frame mount for both front wheels. To free them up, pull up on the retaining tab and slide the wiring connectors apart.

35. If you are removing an engine from a manual transmission car, you need to remove the shifter now. This requires the boot around the shifter, which snaps in place, to be pulled off using both hands. The stock shifter is held in place by two 13-mm bolts; remove them and slide the shifter out. Aftermarket shifters will require you to remove a little more of the console to access the four 13-mm hex-head bolts that hold many of them in place.

36. I recommend that you pile all the wiring up on top of the engine like this to prevent it getting hung up on something in the vehicle and getting damaged when you raise the body off of the engine.

37. Now is the time to slide the cart under the vehicle so you can set the engine cradle on it. Most shops recommend using a simple wooden utility cart, like this one, with some blocks to shim the engine cradle flat on the cart.

38. Lower the car down until the cradle touches the cart. Then, unbolt the remaining shock-tower bolts, and swing the suspension mount down out of the wheelwells.

39. Remove the four 15-mm bolts holding the transmission crossmember in place on the vehicle. This vehicle has subframe connectors tied to the trans mount; most vehicles will not have the black tubing running underneath the vehicle like this.

40. Remove the three 18-mm bolts from each side of the engine cradle (there is a total of six).

41. Now the engine should be completely unbolted and unplugged from the vehicle. You are now prepared to start raising the vehicle off the engine cradle. Do this an inch or so at a time, taking plenty of time to inspect for wires, hoses and other components that are hanging up on the vehicle, or that still might need to be removed.

42. As the cradle is being separated from the vehicle, wiggle the steering arm U-joint to slide it off the steering shaft.

43. As you’re separating the engine cradle and vehicle, be vigilant about making sure all of the wiring, hoses, and components are disconnected and clear from the vehicle.

44. With the engine out of the vehicle, you can perform many parts substitutions. This vehicle was getting different valvetrain components that required the heads to be machined, so they were pulled, and the work was performed.

45. The wiring harness that stays with the engine and transmission has these three ground wires bundled together on this bolt at the back of the engine block. Go ahead and remove the bolt.

46. Disconnect the wiring connector hooked up to the temperature sender on the front of the driver-side cylinder head.

47. There is a small hose (finger pointing to it) that runs out from the vacuum- controlled fuel pressure regulator on the intake manifold to the HVAC system inside the vehicle. This hose needs to be disconnected before you remove the engine.

48. The next step is to disconnect the throttle position sensor (TPS) connector and the idle air control (IAC) connector on the throttle body.

49. Each of the eight wiring connectors attached to the fuel injectors needs to be removed. Just pull up on this silver clip (next to the finger on left) and remove the connector from each injector.

50. The four coils on top of each valve cover have a main connector between the two center coils. Pull the plastic lock pin out of the electrical connector (in fingers) and work the two connectors apart.

51. The best way to deal with the power steering pump is to remove it from the engine but leave it on the front subframe that was dropped out of the vehicle — that way you won’t have to refill the system later. To do this, you’ll have to remove the pulley to access the four 15-mm hex-head fasteners that connect the pump to its bracket. Use this puller (Snap-On, PN CJ117A) to make pulley-removal a snap; it grabs onto a lip on the pulley and pushes on the pump shaft.

52. This is the installer tool for the power steering pump pulley. As you can tell, it is completely different from the puller. It’s available from Snap-On (PN CJ113B101).

53. If you plan on removing the cylinder heads from the engine, now is a good time to remove these drain plugs on both sides of the block to drain coolant out of the heads. This is done so the cylinders and more importantly, the blind head-bolt holes in the block, don’t fill up with coolant when the heads are pulled. If there is any incompressible fluid — oil, water, etc. — in these bolt holes when you torque down the head bolts, you’ll crack the block. This means you’ll need to replace the entire engine block!

54. To reinstall the engine, just perform the steps listed here in reverse. After the engine is reinstalled, add oil and coolant. Be careful of air bubbles in the coolant system. It should take about 2.5 gallons of coolant/water mix, but this will probably need to be added a little at a time. The best way is to fill the radiator, then run the engine with the heat on full blast for a few minutes. The coolant level in the radiator should drop; then shut off the engine and add more. If the engine runs hot and doesn’t take the coolant needed, it probably has a bubble at the thermostat. To fix this, open the system at the upper radiator hose (make sure the system is not under pressure), allow air to escape, and reinstall. Resume coolant filling.

55. While running the engine during the coolant fill process, check the upper radiator hose to see if it’s getting hot. Also, have the heat on in the vehicle — if it blows cold after a few minutes, the system is not filling properly and probably has an air bubble near the thermostat.

Pulling an engine from a C5 Corvette requires the entire drivetrain to come out. Check out this photo sequence if you want to see how it’s done.

1. To lower the drivetrain out of a ’Vette you need to remove the shifter inside the vehicle. Getting the interior components removed to access the shifter is shown in the sidebar on the next page.

2. Using a four-point lift on the C5 Corvette requires some special care to avoid damaging the body. Many custom shops have built special spacers to seat into the factory lift holes, but you don’t need to go to that detail if you don’t plan on doing this often. You can pick up a plastic-body kit from SPX Kent Moore that does the job for you. Or just use some wood blocks on the legs of the lift for where the body swoops down against the frame. Notice the passenger side fender is loose from the body and free to swing out. Make sure this is the case before you put your Corvette on the lift.

3. The first step is to remove the exhaust components that go over the rear independent suspension (see tip in next caption). Then, remove the exhaust tubes that run down inside the main spar tunnel as shown. As a tip, disconnect the O2 sensor connectors before removing the exhaust tubes.

4. To get the exhaust out from the rear suspension and subframe, remove the sway bar-to-cradle bolts to swing the sway bar down out of the way. This will allow you to snake the exhaust tubes up and over the rear suspension cradle to get them out from under the vehicle.

5. Get your powered ratchet fired up because the torque tube closeout plate needs to be removed at this time. There are a ton of 8-mm bolts holding this heavy sheetmetal plate in place, and they all need to be removed to get the torque tube out.

6. Remove the brake lines from their clips in the tunnel, as these lines will come down with the powertrain assembly.

7. Remove the quick-disconnect hose fitting for the clutch hydraulic throwout bearing following the process shown in the Camaro/ Firebird removal process.

8. A good way to simplify the reassembly is to place the removed components on roll-around racks, like the one shown on the left.

9. Back at the rear of the Corvette, disconnect the anti-lock braking system (ABS) wiring connectors at the calipers and remove the two 22-mm bolts holding the rear disc brake calipers on their mounting brackets.

10. Hang the calipers on the lower control arms with some welding wire, zip ties, or a wire hanger, so the brake lines aren’t supporting the calipers.

11. Next, you need to disassemble the rear suspension. To start, support the spindle upright with a stand. Then, remove the 24-mm nut/bolt combo holding the lower shock absorber on the lower control arm. Loosen the 18- mm nut holding the upper ball joint in place, rattle the tapered ball-joint shaft with an air hammer or take a 3- lb hammer and smack the upper control arm with slight spring pressure on it to release the ball joint. Then, get out a massive 1-5/16-inch socket and loosen the halfshaft nut in the upright.

12. With all these components loosened from the rear spindle uprights, begin to lower the upright to release the upper ball joint. As you’re lowering it, pull the parking brake cable off its caliper. Follow this process to disassemble the remaining uprights (obviously, the half shafts won’t exist on the front uprights, but otherwise, the component sets are common).

13. Under the front of the vehicle, remove the four 13-mm front sway bar bolts holding the sway bar on the frame. Swing the bar down out of the way.

14. Back in the engine bay, remove the brake lines from the ABS control module that sits in front of the engine.

15. Now, remove the half shafts at the rear of the vehicle. Often, this will require rattling the halfshaft through the upright with a pneumatic air hammer. This is done to loosen the splined mating point between the halfshaft and drive hub. Slide the halfshafts towards the center section to get them out of the drive hubs. It’s a good idea to mark the shafts as left or right to avoid mixing them up when you reassemble the vehicle.

16. Remove the 10-mm hex-head bolt holding the multiple ground wires on the frame on the driver-side of the frame rail at the rear of the vehicle.

17. Disconnect the main wiring connector at the rear of the vehicle. This wiring is for the lighting and other electrical components at the rear of the vehicle.

18. Before you drop the suspension/ drivetrain combo out of the vehicle, undo the steering shaft knuckle. The finger is pointing to the rack-andpinion shaft with the knuckle slid off it.

19. If you haven’t already, remove the lower 7-mm hex-head bolts holding the passenger-side fender on the vehicle. You need to remove the fender bolts so you can tilt up the fender and remove the PCM and its wiring (in this photo, the PCM has already been removed). There is one 7-mm hex-head bolt inside the fender that most novices break off because they think they’ve already removed them all. As you can see, it’s located up inside the fenderwell and can only be seen after you’ve removed the inner fenderwell (detailed in the next photo). Now you know!

20. The next component you need to remove is the passenger-side inner splash panel. Remove the 7-mm bolts that hold it in place. This gives you access to the A/C bolts and hidden fender bolt — refer to the Camaro/ Firebird A/C removal process to see what this looks like.

21. Next, loosen the three nested 7- mm bolts to disconnect the vehicle wiring harness connector from the PCM. Go back into the engine bay and remove the fuel lines and vacuum hoses off the top of the engine. This is identical to the Camaro/Firebird process, so refer to those pictures to see how it’s done. Now, remove the PCM from its bracket.

22. Remove the alternator, the three ground wires bundled on one 10-mm bolt on the passenger side of the vehicle, and the radiator hoses at the radiator. All of these processes are the same as that performed on the Camaro/Firebird, so refer to those photos for more detail on these steps. Also, disconnect the heater core hoses from the passenger side of the engine (this is also the same as the Camaro/Firebird process).

23. Remove the battery (you did disconnect the battery cables from the vehicle before starting to remove the engine, right?) by loosening the one hold-down bolt at the base of the battery. Then, remove the plastic battery tray after loosening the four 13-mm hex-head bolts in the middle of the plastic tray.

24. The fuse panel is then removed by taking the two 10-mm nuts off; there’s one on top, and one hidden near the bottom of the panel. Remove the one 13-mm nut holding the positive cable ends on the stud and remove the panel.

25. Pull up on the plastic push rivets (similar to those used on the truck radiator shroud discussed later in this chapter) to remove the engine bay closeout panel. Unplug the vacuum line that runs into the engine harness and unplug the six connectors behind the passenger-side wheelhouse.

26. Uncoil the wiring harness and set the wires on top of the engine. This LS6 had a broken valvespring and a dropped valve, which is why the valve covers are off the engine.

27. Disconnect the AIR tube that runs from the exhaust manifolds to the air pump (in hand). Also, unbolt the A/C compressor and hang it on the frame. Finally, disconnect the brake booster hose (refer to the Camaro/Firebird photos).

28. The drivetrain needs to rest on a special stand or series of blocks. There are many companies that have built custom stands to hold a drivetrain/ suspension system that’s been dropped out of a Corvette. Wheel to Wheel Powertrain offers plans on how to build your own version of one of these stands.

29. Now, set the powertrain down onto the support, remove the four 21-mm nuts in front and rear (eight total) to free the powertrain from the frame, and slowly bump the body up to separate the two systems. Watch for leftover stuff like ground wires, brake lines, wiring, etc.! As you can see, the number of components lowered out of the ‘Vette body is really impressive. Basically, if you plan on doing intensive work on the engine, this is the best way to get to it.

While the 800-series truck and SUV chassis allows the most access to the Gen III engine, you’ll still need to remove it if you really plan on hot-rodding it. Check out the photo sequence that follows.

The first step is not a requirement, but it will make your life much easier. Put the truck on a lift. If you don’t have a lift, just plan on sliding underneath the vehicle to pull the starter, torque converter bolts, trans bolts, and a few other things. Disconnect the battery at this time.

The tools required to do this job vary from the standard pliers, screwdrivers, and open-end wrenches to a custom pulley puller and radiator hook tool. The hammer and pry bar are used to persuade various components away from their homes.

1. To start removing parts, loosen the hose clamps at each end of the air tube assembly and the hose clip at the passenger side of the radiator. Weasel it off the air cleaner box and the MAF sensor flanges. Look at the next image for a close-up on how to remove these clips.

2. There are many clips on the Gen III engine that are a little tricky to get loose, like this main radiator hose wiring harness clip. To open it, place the tip of the radiator hook tool (your best friend when removing the hose and wiring clips and connectors) inside the clip section (take a good look at the location in the photo to understand where!), push it down, and pull the clip open with the other hand.

3. The next part to come off is the engine cover, which has already been removed by loosening its 10-mm bolts. Then comes the upper radiator fan shroud. Remove the two 10-mm bolts from the upper edge of the shroud and the four pull pins where the upper and lower portions of the shroud come together.

4. A good way to remove the radiator shroud pull pins is to lightly clinch under the tab with side cutters (don’t cut the tab, just use the side cutters to pull up on the tab) and pull up about 1/2 inch to release the clip.

5. To prevent losing all the little parts or forgetting where everything goes, put all the fasteners in Ziploc bags and mark their usage and quantity on the bags.

6. Remove the fan next. Use a 36-mm wrench (Blue Point, PN YA9521) to twist the nut against the cranking rotation of the belt (the belt direction is different on the various front drives). Don’t remove the accessory drive belt before doing this, as the belt will hold the water pump shaft in place while you loosen the fan nut. You should be able to remove the nut by hand, but if not, refer to the next photo for how to remove “stuck” fan nuts. Remove the lower shroud by taking it off its two resting tabs.

7. If the radiator nut is locked in place, use an air hammer with a chisel attachment to rattle the nut loose. Place the chisel on the back edge of one of the nut faces and push the nut loose.

8. The next task is to drain the coolant. Pull the drain tube out of its holder on the side of the radiator and point it down at a bin to collect the coolant. Turn the drain petcock to start the flow.

9. Use pliers to compress the spring clamp holding the upper radiator hose on the engine. If possible, compress the clip until it detents open to make reinstallation a snap (literally). Lift the hose to drain the coolant in the hose back into the radiator. As a note, these clamps are staked to the hoses, so they won’t slide back and forth on the hose.

10. Use pliers to compress the clips on the lower radiator hose and two heater hoses and remove. You might need a radiator hook tool to pry between the rubber hose and metal fitting to get these loose.

11. Remove the throttle cable by holding the throttle at WOT and unlooping the cable off the throttle blade cam. Depress the two tangs on the anchor of the cable housing to pull it out of the bracket.

12. Take off the upper cover bracket on the intake manifold by removing the three 10-mm bolts. Reinstall the bolts in the intake after the cover bracket is off so you don’t lose them.

13. Pull the disc brake booster hose from the brake booster housing (left hand) and start taking off the many ground straps (right hand). This one goes to the firewall.

14. Start removing the wiring harness by pulling the TPS and alternator control plugs. These are traditional plugs and are easily removed.

15. Next, remove the air temperature sender and EVAP solenoid control wire connectors (in hand). Notice the EVAP is removed. To do this, squeeze the connector while lightly pulling up to release it.

16. This main clip needs to be released to get the harness out of the way. The best way to release this clip is to use a radiator hook tool to pry under the small locking tang.

17. Now, remove the main coil plugs on each side of the engine by pulling the side pin out and pulling up on the clip while lifting the lock tang. Now is also a good time to unhook the main alternator power wire (a 10-mm nut).

18. There are two knock sensors under the intake manifold that are connected to a jumper wire that comes out under the intake at the back of the engine. This photo shows how much wiring is running through that area. Because of all this, if you don’t know what the connector feels like, you’re probably not going to get it unhooked. On the first engine removal, plan on taking the intake off to get to this and a few other connectors back there — once you get them figured out, maybe next time you’ll be able to do it blind.

19. Here’s a simple task once you’ve done it, but a hell of a job if you don’t know what you’re doing — removing the fuel injector wiring connectors. The connectors are nestled down between the fuel rail and intake itself, leaving little space to see what you’re doing.

20. This is how the fuel injector connector will look when it’s installed in the injector body. The gray clip needs to be pulled up before the connector can be released from the fuel injector.

21. To start the injector removal process, work the gray clip up and out of the clip body. Sometimes, it will help to pull the upper portion of the clip off the wire, then you can get a better grip on the clip to pull and wiggle it off the fuel injector.

22. You need to depress this little tab on the fuel injector wiring connector as it’s worked off the injector. Do this for all eight fuel-injector wiring connectors.

23. Now, pull the water temperature sensor wire connector off the sensor on the driver-side front of the engine block by lifting the lock tab and pulling the connector off.

24. Next, remove the wiring connector for the MAP sender. This is located at the top of the intake manifold towards the rear. Lift the lock tab and pull the connector off.

25. The wiring loom clip on the valve covers is released by pressing on the inside tang, as shown, with the end of the radiator hook tool. The loom has been removed to show where to press on the clip with the hook tool.

26. The reason this method will save you time and effort is because you’re not taking out any components you don’t have to. When you remove any wiring connectors from the vehicle, place as much as you can on top of the engine to minimize the chances of it being damaged when the engine is removed.

27. Disconnect the fuel feed and return lines next. Start by pulling this lock clip off of both lines with your hand. Store the clips in a bag so you don’t lose them —they are not easy to buy.

28. The fuel lines use special connectors that require a special tool to release. This plastic tool and more expensive metal tools are available through most professional tool suppliers. The plastic tools work just as good as the metal ones, but they wear out. If you’re only pulling an engine a few times in your life, the plastic version will be more than enough to get the job done.

29. This close-up of the fuel line fitting shows its small tangs that engage the fuel rail hard-line to lock the two fittings together.

30. Remove the front accessory drive belt by relaxing the tensioner belt with a 15-mm wrench and pulling the belt off by hand.

31. Remove the power steering pulley to access the four bolts holding the pump onto the engine. This is done to keep the power steering system together — it’s easier to remove the pump from the engine than it is to take the whole system apart and put it back together. Use a special puller tool (Snap-On, PN CJ117A) to pull it, and a special install tool (Snap-On, PN CJ113B101) to reinstall the pulley.

32. Next, remove the four 15-mm hexhead bolts in front (three hold the pump, one holds the wiring bracket, which needs to be removed so you can move the wire while you remove the pump) and one bolt in back holding the pump on. Bag the fasteners for safe keeping.

33. Now, swing the power steering pump towards the inner fenderwell to clear the engine. Use wire or zip-ties to hold it in place until it’s time to reinstall the engine.

34. Perform the same swing-away process on the A/C compressor. First, remove the two 15-mm hex-head bolts on the side of the A/C pump and remove the bottom two 15-mm bolts. Then, push the A/C compressor up and over towards the passenger side of the engine bay to clear the engine. Use wire or zip-ties to hold it out of the way.

35. Next, you’ll need to remove the starter. To do this, remove the two 13- mm bolts and the 10-mm bolt holding on the flexplate access cover. Getting the cover off helps you maneuver the starter out from under the vehicle. Patiently work the starter down and back against the wiring and trans cooler lines to get it out. It might help to remove some wires and move the transmission lines by pulling them out of some of their clips.

36. With the starter out, use a straight pick to depress the hidden tab on the oil-level wiring connector to remove it from the oil pan. While you’re down there, remove the 10-mm bolt that’s holding the harness on the front of the oil pan.

37. Next, unbolt the three 15-mm fasteners from the exhaust collector that connects the manifold to the exhaust Ypipe. To make this job easier, use a long extension to access these fasteners.

38. Remove the three 15-mm bolts that hold the flexplate and torque converter together. You can reach them through the area on the passenger side of the automatic transmission where the starter was, or struggle through the small access plug in the bellhousing.

39. You can now remove the 15-mm bolts that hold the transmission to the engine block. The bottom bolts are easily accessed, but the top bolts are practically impossible to reach.

40. One of the methods to reach the top bolts on the transmission is to use a loooonnnnngggg extension on a ratchet. In this case, the torque required to loosen the bolts was too much, so we decided to remove the intake to access the bolts and connectors at the back of the engine (oil pressure, knock sensors, etc.).

41. To get the intake off, you’ll need to loosen the 10 nested 8-mm bolts and a few hoses and electrical connectors. The intake gaskets are a one-piece component, and it usually takes just a few pries on the intake-to-cylinderhead mounting flange to release the intake. Carefully vacuum around the intake before you remove it to avoid trash from falling into the intake ports.

42. Before you separate the connector for the oil-pressure sender (shown) and knock sensors, push the wiring loom back towards the firewall. Remember to tape over the intake ports to prevent objects from falling into the engine. This engine was being completely rebuilt, so this precaution was not taken.

43. Once the cam sensor sender connector is pulled off, the 10-mm bolts holding a few wiring brackets can be removed, and you’ll be able to get to the remaining 15-mm transmissionto- engine bolts.

44. There are three 15-mm engine mount bolts on each side of the engine that you need to remove before you can pull the engine from the vehicle.

45. You’ll need to remove the hood to get the engine out. To make it easier to reinstall, remove these two 13-mm bolts. This way, you won’t have to realign the hood on the vehicle when you go to put it back together. Use two people to lift the hood off the vehicle because it’s big and heavy.

46. In this case, we were lucky enough to have a forklift to lift the engine out of the vehicle, but you can do it with an engine hoist. Attach a chain to the front and rear of the engine and lift it out. Wiggle the engine a little to get it free of the transmission and other components. Watch for wires still connected to the engine while you slowly lift it out of the vehicle.

S10 pickups like this one are great to add Gen III V-8s to. They’re plentiful, inexpensive hot-rod toys that are a hoot to drive with a hopped-up LS1 under the hood.

As can be seen by the wiring rat’s nest in the engine bay, wiring up the Gen III so that it works in concert with the rest of the vehicle’s controls is a challenge. If you’re not electronically minded, find someone who is, or plan on buying an aftermarket wiring harness. Also, the calibration will need some work to run the S10 dashboard and other components, but these challenges are surmountable. Once this owner got through these details, this truck ran like a new hot-rod from the get-go.

There are many components that require custom fabrication, like this air cleaner tube. This one is made of 4-inch aluminum tubing and an openelement K&N air cleaner. The radiator is a custom unit, necessary to get the inlet and outlets to match up to the LS1 inlet/outlets. You’ll need a slim electric fan to clear the front of the engine. Otherwise, it looks like GM should have built them this way.