How To Remove Your LS1 Engine - Removal Procedures Part 2

We're halfway into the process of pulling the drivetrain out of this C5 Corvette, so let's keep moving to get to the V-8 engine.

This is the second installment of a two-part article on removing the engine from your C5 Corvette. This process is required if you want to perform engine modifications to your C5 Corvette beyond installing a different air box or adding a cat-back exhaust system. As was discussed in the first article, pulling the engine on the C5 is a little different than what most enthusiasts are used to doing. This is because the most thorough way to do it is to drop the engine, torque tube, transmission, front and rear suspension, and other components that make up the "spine" of the C5 Corvette out from under the body structure as one unit. In fact, the body is lifted off the drivetrain system to access the engine.

While the idea of doing this to your "baby" might sound more daunting than "just" pulling the engine, removing the entire drivetrain is actually quite straightforward once you have seen it done. Which is where this story comes in: you will see most of the steps required to complete this process in photos. Let's finish the job we started last month!

More Info
If you want to know more about the incredible LS1/LS6/LS2/LS7 engine family, check out How to Build High-Performance Chevy LS1/LS6 V-8s by Will Handzel. You can order the book through www.cartechbooks.com or by calling (800) 551-4754.

Continue disassembling the rear suspension by removing the 10mm bolt that holds the brake line on the framerail. Then remove the two 21mm bolts that hold the caliper and bracket to the knuckle and zip tie it to the lower control arm. Slightly support the spindle upright so you can remove the 24mm nut/bolt combo holding the shock absorber on the lower control arm. Loosen the 18mm nut on the upper ball joint and rattle the tapered ball-joint shaft out of the upright. Once that is removed, use the massive 151/416-inch socket to loosen the halfshaft nut in the upright.

With everything loosened on the suspension corner, carefully lower the suspension system while pushing the halfshaft inward to expose the two 15mm bolts for the parking-brake bracket. Remove these and unhook the cable from the lever. You'll also need to remove the harness retainers that hold the ABS (anti-lock braking) wiring to the parking-brake cable.

Steps 2 thru 4 should then be repeated on the next three suspension corners (the fronts won't have a driveshaft to remove or parking-brake cables, but everything else is common).