To get access to the bottom end gaskets requires either removing the front suspension or pivoting it on the front bolts.
Before lowering the suspension, I secured the engine with a home made support.
When trying to replace a pair of struts years ago, I could not remove the top nut using these tools and buggered up the 1/4 inch flat
This time I had the right tools….a 1/4″ and 9/16″ crowsfoot
With my daughter, Lauren providing an extra set of hands, we made quick work of removing the nuts with no damage to the shaft
Removed and capped the flexible brake lines to the calipers
Drained the power steering fluid from the reservoir and then removed both high and low pressure hoses from the back of the reservoir. You can see the extra grounding strap I have added.
Removed all nuts securing the downpipes to the manifold. This requires some creativity with your extensions and universal joints. (Technically, only the left downpipe needs to be removed, but I have some modifications planned, so I removed both)
With the left downpipe free, bring it down enough to get access to the lower steering connection nut
Before separating the lower steering column the two bolts in the steering column support under the dash should be removed to give the column some play without damaging it.
Carefully pried off the universal joint connection. This is what one end of the steering connection looks like
and this is the other
removed both nuts and washers from the engine mounts
Removed sway bar end links
Loosened the front suspension nuts. One of these was very tight and broke the teeth in my 1/2″ wrench. Do not remove the nuts.
Used the floor jack to support the suspension….
….while removing the two rear nuts and washers
used a couple of jack stands to catch the suspension as it pivoted down to make sure nothing was getting caught up
