Do they need to open the exhaust door before taking out the engine ? I just bought a legend resin engine … so i need to build those engine hook myself ? in order to put it into lifting jig ?
Yes, the grill doors need to be opened then the back deck removed. The problem with all the current Abrams kits (except the new Panther II hulls, haven’t seen those) is that several grills on the back deck that are supposed to be part of the removable engine cover are molded onto the upper hull.
Dragon, Trumpeter and Italeri all did the same thing and left the smaller grills attached to the tank but should be attached to the part that is removed.
You will need three lifting eyes atached to the engine. One aft of the step plate above the accessory gearbox, and one each inboard of the transmission fan cooler housings. The lifting fixture for engine removal is “T” shaped , with th “T” towards the rear of the tank.
The main problem will be the two large doors on the left front. These are access to the aircleaners. Most kits I have seen have these molded in place. These doors must be open to remove the top deck. One detail that is always overlooked is the final drive access plates on the hull reverse slope must also be removed when the powerpack is out.
NTM
Thanks for all the info … seen that i must use italeri kit as the kit have separated grill doors …