i have a carbed block with turbo heads and new gaskets sitting in my barn. i have a 87.5 FT4WD XTTurbo with a bad motor (heads, block, don't know yet). how hard is it to swap my good block with heads into the turbo car?

 

on the XT6 and NA EA82's i'm used to unbolting the instake manifold assembly and lifting it out of the way, dropping in the new block and then lowering the intake back on top of the new block.

 

can i do that with the turbo too? sounds like it should be a fairly easy swap to get the car back on the road quickly.

When i removed my EA82T, I 1st removed the intake manifold with the smog canister and all the hoses. Then I removed the block from the car with heads, and turbo attatched.

 

When i reinstall the motor, it will be complete.

 

-Brian

You're on the right track. I would unbolt and disconnect only as much as you need to in order to pull the intake back out of the way.

awesome, thanks! i woudln't have thought of that, pull the motor with the turbo attached? didnt' think of that one. so disconnect the exhaust past the header/exhaust manifold (by the catalytic converter)? part of the exhaust will come with it or disconnect just the turbo and leave all the exhaust in the car?

I usually unbolt the downpipe from the turbo and the trans. and then take the motor out with everything still on it, intake turbo etc.. In the last 2 days I removed 3 turbo motors and installed 1(Helping out a friend and clearing out parts cars my hands are sore!). It's really clean no oil to slosh around and then you can do any work as it sits in a bucket or on the bench.

 

I have a spfi block with turbo goodies ready to go in soon, low end torque will be sweet.

I unbolted the downpipe from the back of the turbo. My exhaust is all 1 piece, no flanges at the end of the downpipe. Once the engine was on my workbench I removed the turbo and up-pipe.

 

-Brian

so i should have new turbo gaskets for the install of the new long block?

It would help.

 

-Brian

so i should have new turbo gaskets for the install of the new long block?

As Brian wrote, it would help. but it is not necessary, unless the gaskets are showing signs of damage, like delamination or leakage (burn marks).