I have the first HF tools stand illustrated. I've had two 455s mounted on it. The first mounting did sag because I made a mistake. The second (and much heavier because of all the additional junk on it) does not sag. The secret: mount the bracket on the back of the engine correctly. You should note that this universal bracketing has (at least on my stand) two sizes of "pins" on the bracket. One size is longer for the bolts to go through than the other. Put the arms with the longer "pins" on the bottom of the engine.
I just went to look at the one in my garage. It's an Excel from Sam's Wholesale. I think I paid $49 for it. It leans back some and does NOT sag at all with a 455 complete with accessories on it including the a/c compressor and manifolds. I'm very satisfied with it.
3 wheeled engine stands are unsafe and should be banned from sale. I used one that was given to me for my rebuild and it almost tipped over twice. I waited until the motor was in the car before putting on the intake and exhaust manifolds and the compressor and p/s pump. All that weight would surely have caused an accident.:eek2: Not just the damage to the motor, but if it fell on me I don't want to think about it.:shock:
Just bought one of the heavier-duty $89 stands from Harbor Freight. Can't wait to get the 300 out of there and the 455 in!!
If any of you have a welder and are interested in building your own, I have the construction details for mine on CAD and would be happy to share them (email), it has (4) legs and a 725lbs capacity.
Engine Stand With a 455 don't buy anything less then one that has 4 wheels on it for that engine is heavy and you will need support in all 4 corners for balancing the weight spiecally when rotating it, AL.
The Ex-cell stand from Sam's is a very sturdy piece. I've got two of them that have had various big blocks on them. They don't budge. I've even stood on top of a fully dressed 460 that was on it without any real movement. The only improvement that I've made was to replace the single front caster with two casters spread by about a foot. The Ex-cell hoist is pretty nice, too.
is the sams on the Sams club (walmart cousin) variety? not sure if its called diffrent things in the country. Nate
The one that I have has about a 16" cross bar in the front with two casters on it. It came that way. It has a 1250# capacity.
EXCELLENT choice, Ethan!:Smarty: I have 2 of those stands, and EACH have been holding COMPLETE 455's, with NO Problems!:TU: Make sure you use Bolts that are STRONG enough to hold the engine on the stand! That could be the CAUSE of an engine "sagging" on the stand, if the Bolts are "softer" and they would come untorqued after awhile.:Smarty:o No:
Cole - I think Bruce is right - judging by that pic. The upright looks to be on backwards. Switching it around should be ALOT better!!:Brow: :grin: Doesn't help, those 460's are absolute PIGS!!ou: :Brow: :laugh:
Thanks for the confirmation, Scott! I'm in Chicago this week, but when I get home over the weekend, I'll switch 'er around and see how she looks. Maybe my son won't be so nervous about his engine then!:laugh:
Gotta admit....that's one SCARY looking pic!!:Brow: :eek2: If an engine stand passes the BB Ford or BB Mopar 'test', it's pretty much safe to use on the rest of the stuff!!:Brow: :TU: Have you guys tried putting some high pressure grease on there, so the engine turns over a little easier? *The shop I was in a few years ago, had an engine stand made from moly tubing. The owner would sit right on a fully assembled engine when a bunch of guys were hanging out. Their jaws would drop, thinking he was nuts. His opinion was...if it isn't strong enough to hold him and the engine - he didn't want it in his shop.:Brow: :grin:
Well, the Harbor Freight stand I ordered has been on backorder for almost 2 months. Why don't they call you to let you know that something is backordered? They just leave you hanging. Anyways, guess I'll be looking elsewhere for a stand... I would go with the NAPA 1250lb capacity stand, but it's $149. The Harbor Freight 2000lb capacity stand was a really good deal at $89. Anyone know of a really heavy duty stand for under $100?
Check to see if there is a store in your area on the HF site. I placed an order with them for some other parts and on the packing slip, it says item is backordered.
Thanks for the idea... just called both HF stores in the area and one didn't have it, the other left me on hold for 10 minutes. Then I called back and the guy said they didn't have it! Oh well. Any other good places to look for a decent stand?
Well after a few Google searches I came up with this... Northern Tool 2000lb folding engine stand. $79! Seems like a pretty good deal. Will probably just go ahead and order it unless shipping is an arm and a leg. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/...gId=-1&productId=19976&storeId=6970&langId=-1 I wanted to find something Made in the USA but I can't seem to find that info on any of these sites...
I bought a 1000lb capacity engine stand from parts america... can't find it on their site and haven't had the chance to use it. I would've ordered a nice one, but I needed it that day since I was supposed to go pick up a 455 for my Skylark... guy ditched out, sold his house, and they sent all their cars to the junkyard... it was a 1970 455 out of an Estate Wagon that turned over and had been running just fine when they parked the car 3 months prior :cry: Oh well, I'll get one eventually.
