So the engine got a major haircut where it lost all the EGR components which freed up a lot of room and weight on top of the engine, but this is still looking impossible. Maybe if I drop it in from high enough it will fit :).
So the first install attempt ended right about here and it was hitting just about everywhere.
So, one obstruction at a time was removed, modified, eliminated, whatever it took. After several (50+) attempts, it finally had it’s first “All the way in” installation on 29 August 2014 just two months after the start.
The upper and lower oil pans were removed from the engine and the front cross member received some “adjustments” shown below so that the crankshaft didn’t hit.
Don’t worry, there’s reinforcement coming for the cross member in a future post.
I was surprised at how asymmetric the cross member was and that the engines in both vehicles were not centered in the car. The left side (right in the picture above) needed about 1″ cut out of the top side so that the “V” was symmetric and I could get a motor mount between the frame and block without raising the motor up any higher than I had to.
Clearance was also required on the backside for the starter to fit and then be removed/installed without removing the engine from the car.
Each of these modifications required installing the engine/trans, seeing where clearance was needed, marking it up, removing the engine/trans, heating the area with a torch then beating it into the shape I wanted. Rinse, lather and repeat until it fit.
The oil pump on a Duramax is in the very front of the engine and the oil sump is in the very back and there’s a ~1-1/4″ (32mm) tube that runs between the two.
After all this, the engine and transmission finally “fit”
Check out “Part 2” for more details on the install and next steps. Again, thanks for reading and please comment below!
Fix Until Broke 