How hard is it to swap out an engine. I have a 2005 chevy Malibu classic and have a parts car that is 2004 chevy Malibu classic. Can I just leave the transmission on the engine and swap it as well? How hard is this project? Any advice? Thanks in advance.

For the removal it would probably be easiest to drop the whole front wheel drive powertrain with the engine cradle and suspension still attached. First disconnect all wiring and fluid lines, unbolt the suspension struts from above, unbolt the engine cradle, drop it all as one unit, and lift the body up off it. You will need an engine hoist and a vehicle lift. It might also be a good idea to first remove the hood and front bumper, so you can access everything easier.

All you need is a engine hoist and a bag of tools and some know how.. If you how to work on cars then it really won't be all that much work for you... But if you don't know much then I wouldn't even attempt this on your own.

I just removed a 2.2L with auto trans from my 2005 Malibu classic out the top without removing the engine cradle. I was told it couldn't be done. I did it this way because I was concerned that the engine cradle body mounts may be rusted and seized to the point that they would strip or break when unbolting. It took a lot of time removing all obvious mechanical items and the electrical connectors and disconnecting all the hoses. There were four things I removed that were key in getting the clearance to lift it out. The power brake booster with master cyl, The driver side radiator fan removed by drilling out the four plastic "weldnuts" so I didn't have to remove the radiator or the complete fan shroud. ( a royal pain to remove the entire shroud). Then after hooking the hoist up and lifting the engine off the cradle mounts, I also removed the front and the drivers side motor mount brackets that bolt to the motor. With those removed It came out without a problem. No damage. I don't know if the 3.3 V6 will be as hospitable as there is a lot less room to maneuver around the engine compartment. Good Luck.

Will a 2005 Chevy classic transmission fit a 2006 chevy Malibu LT 3.5

Your question is a new thread but I think I can answer it. The Malibu LT is a different animal than the Classic but the easiest way to see if the transmissions are interchangeable is to call your local junkyard and have them look up your existing old transmission and see what other transmissions will fit. You'll probably have to drop the engine cradle to do this so you will likely need a big impact wrench to break the cradle bolts loose. I had to use a 3/4 inch impact to do mine. Luckily none of my bolts broke but 4 of the 6 were rusted so much that I had to replace them with new ones. Two of the ones I replaced were very special bolts I had to get from Chevy at about $90 each. They were long and had two sets of threads on them. Good Luck.