Remove Engine Advise Out the Top
 

I spun a bearing, and need to get the motor out to take it to the shop. I do not have a lift.. I know the preference with our motor is to take it out the bottom, but it is not an option for me. Looking for advice/tips/tricks for picking out the top.

Can it be done without breaking the seal on the AC system? Hope to move the components out of the way and not evacuate the refrigerant. Just a hope.

Getting started on this tonight. I'll start with removing the easy things, and drain the oil today. Not looking forward to this, but I don't want to go a summer without my car, so, diving in.

FWIW: 2014 SS LS3, cammed/tunned + bolt ons. 486whp. 68,000 miles. about 40,000 of those miles with the cam and tune.

Per the Chilton manual it can be done. I've never done it myself (hope I never need to). Hopefully some of the more experienced folks will chime in with some tips, tricks or other additional advice.

I've done it multiple times. Get some fender covers so you can lay the condenser on the passenger side without fear of scratching the paint. You can even leave the trans hooked up but you will need to man handle it a bit to get it in and out. I did all R&Rs by myself without even looking at a manual, so not that complicated.

While you have it out be sure to add a remote clutch bleeder and upgrade the clutch if you haven't already done so. Billet support for the slave cylinder is a good idea too.

When my vert spun a bearing it ate an eighth of an inch into the crank, which made it perfect candidate for a stroker kit. Something to consider. Car is a whole different animal now vs the stock LS3. Of course, there have been plenty of other mods since then too.

Yeah I just got done with mine. The hardest part is getting the starter disconnected, the transmission bell housing bolts, the torque converter bolts, and the hot wire that runs underneath the front of the engine in my opinion. I did take off my intake and heads off prior, other than that it's cake.

I found it easier to remove the hood as well.
Drill 2 alignment holes in the hinges to get everything lined back up easier and you are good.

Yeah I forgot to drill the holes. It was a pain lining up the hood again without the holes.

I did this when I was in High School and when I put the hood back on it was perfect. This is great advise for anyone. I drilled a hole the size of the nails that I used to realign. Works like a champ.

You could probably not break the A/C open, but its not worth the trouble tbh. Absolutely take the hood off, do not attempt without doing that. Its a pain and you will probably break something.

Others have good advice here so pay attention to what they have to say.
Easier to pull as shortblock if thats an option, bellhousing bolts much easier. Some pics for reference. Let us know if you run into any snags.

https://i.ibb.co/ZfD3K4d/weeee.png
https://i.ibb.co/0tPTsyj/chichi.png
https://i.ibb.co/1JxwjxK/riwie.png

When I pulled mine I just unbolted the ac compressor and left it in the engine bay but it's a little bit harder bolting it back in but that's the way I did it.

I must be getting lucky with the hood alignment as this is the first I heard of the hole drilling trick. Never needed more than a couple adjustments. I made my daughter help me on the vert since she was driving it at the time and couldn't wait to have her car back.

The ac compressor is pain, but I've never tried putting the engine back in with it already mounted.

I have always used witness marks from bolt/washer on the hood or grease pen/chalk. I'm not drilling the hood. Curious to see where OP got with it.

Now that you mention it, I think I used masking tape before I took the hood off.

Got it out this weekend. Went pretty well overall. Was able to leave the hood on and keep the AC system sealed. The biggest struggle was getting the bell housing to separate from the block. Me and a buddy fought it for 2 hours. Working on the floor with jacks, blocks of wood, and ratchet straps, it was a battle.

https://i.imgur.com/EJC1NAR.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/x7rtkKy.jpeg

Everything came apart like it should. Nothing broke. Having worked on Jeeps most of my car-wrenching days, it was so nice to not bust half the bolts, get dirt in your face, etc. My biggest fear going back together will be getting all the wires routed properly.

https://i.imgur.com/36FsWhl.jpeg

https://imgur.com/jJxeF9I.jpeg

You can see in the pic above how the AC just stays at the bottom. No hoses or fittings needed removed. Good job Chevy, I appreciate that!

Tomorrow it goes to my buddy's shop for a tear down, hopefully this week. I'll post with updates, and see where we go from here.

My truck has two LS V8's!

https://imgur.com/1HN9wQk.jpeg

Nice! Glad you were able to knock it out without the hood and A/C.