No, don't even try to pull the engine out from the top. You might get it out eventually, and you'll want to slash your wrists before you get that thing put back in from the top and aligned.

It's made to come out the bottom, and it's so easy to work on that way. I got to the point where I could have the powertrain dropped out the bottom of the car in about an hour. I was the guy that was doing lots of piston and ring replacements in these a few years ago, I did several of them a week for a couple of years. I got the procedure down so well that I could have new pistons and rings in the engine in 5 hours, from driving it into the shop to driving it back out again.

Other techs would ask me what my secrets were. I had no real secrets. I actually printed off the GM engine replacement procedure, put it in a hard binder, and I followed the instructions almost to the letter. Didn't even have to think about it, just went step by step. I'll put those instructions together for you and attach them here.

Attachment: 2012-08-10_141052_northstar_engine_replacement.pdf

• Don't disconnect the brake lines from the master cylinder or the ABS pump. Leave them intact. Instead, remove the master cylinder from the booster, unplug the fluid level sensor, and just lay the master cylinder up on top of the engine. The ABS module, master cylinder, and lines will all come right out with the powertrain.
• Don't worry about locking the steering wheel as shown at step 27. Just make sure the key is out of the ignition, the steering wheel will stay locked.
• Disconnect the AC suction line from the accumulator under the hood, not from the compressor. It's just easier and faster to leave it attached to the compressor, and it won't be in your way as you're taking the powertrain in and out. Two plastic clips retain the line to the cooling fan, just pop them loose and lay the line up out of the way, still attached to the engine/compressor.
• Don't remove any power steering lines. It will stay full of fluid for the whole time you're working on it. Once the powertrain is out, just take the PS pump loose and lay it aside, on the RS lower control arm or strut. You'll see what I mean when you get to that point.

That's about it. You have the whole procedure exactly the way I've done it a few hundred times. Have fun with it, I actually really enjoy working on these.

:-)

-Jerry