lifting completed engine into car

Can anybody tell me the best way to connect the engine hoist to the assembled engine? Where is the best place to lift?

 

Get an engine load leveler, it connects to the cherry picker, then has 4 chains coming off of that to connect to the block - you could pick up by the ends of the heads - if you have access to the bolt holes, or the 4 corner bolts of the intake manifold - i prefer there. The leveler has a screwed rod at teh top, which with a turn of a handle, allows the engine to be pitched forward or backward, helping you install/remove it. It really helps when there is a tranny attached, because you can move the pivot point so that the engine/tranny assembly is balanced.

 

What he said........I don't know if by "assembled engine" you mean everything, but I usually leave the brackets and pulleys until last, and attach the chain to the heads in the bolt holes where the brackets attach to. If you don't have a leveler, rent one if you can.

Just a tip here..........as a time saver in the past I have used two 4" long bolts with the heads cut off, one on each side of the bell housing on the block to aid in lining things up. Just remove them after you get a couple bolts in. She'll slide right up to the tranny this way. :bglasses:

 

So it would be ok to lift by the intake or by the heads? Would you recommend bolting tranny on first? Also I will be transporting on a trailer for 20 miles with the pan on before it is installed, any ideas on how to protect the oil pan from getting damaged? Thanks!!

 

You could try setting it on some old tires but tie it really well so it can't roll over.....remember there is a massive amount of weight there. :bglasses:

 

do what he said - put it on tires, but strap it down really good... dont want that thing rolling over


Ive seen those carb plates to go on the intake... i think thats a little scary to pick the engine up by 4 grade 8 carb bolts... those are tiny.... even though the grade 8....

 

BE VERY CAREFUL HERE!

If you sling a chain diagonally from front of one head, or manifold, to the back of the other head, or the diagonal corner of the manifold, and just put the hook of the cherrypicker or hoist onto that chain, the load can and will shift uncontrollably. You will break stuff, and probably get injured at the same time. At minimum, you'll have to change undies.

The problem here is that I can picture how to do it properly, but I can't figure out the words to describe it. You use a longer chain, with a few inches of "extra" slack, and you use a long bolt to create a "loop" in the chain that the load hook engages. When you lift the engine, if it isn't centered properly to give the correct angle to put in the engine compartment, you can move the bolt one link at a time along the chain until the engine "hangs" right.

The problem with the adjustable slings-which would work GREAT otherwise-is that if you have limited overhead clearance, they cause the engine to hang well below the load hook of the hoist. Then the hoist can't lift high enough to get the trans or the sump of the pan over the bodywork.

The lifting pads which bolt onto the carb pad of the manifold are a very secure way to lift an engine. I'm not saying the balance of the hanging engine/trans is the greatest, but the bolts are rated for well over 100,000 lbs/sq inch, and the engine/trans isn't even close to 1,000 lbs. Four 5/16 bolts should fail "somewhere" above 30,000 lbs! Yeah, yeah, I'm not suggesting you pull the engine using eyeglasses screws just to prove a mathematical point, but four 5/16 bolts has a TREMENDOUS excess of capacity, if you have enough QUALITY thread engagement in the manifold The trick is to make sure the bolts are appropriatly torqued. If they're tight they won't break, but if they bend, they could fail and you would be screwed.

 

Also while its on a tire it may bounce a slight amount and crush the oil pan and the rods can then hit the pan upon start up.

 

Even with a load leveler my engine twisted to one side about 10*


I recommend getting some nylon washers to insulate the load leveler chain/plates from the heads, so that the paint doesn't get too marred.

If you are putting in a new torque converter, don't forget to put enough tranny fluid into the new converter so that the converter goes in all the way.


I assume that since the tranny is out and you have a choice, all this stuff is new/just rebuilt

 

We've done several BBB and a couple BBC (much heavier) using the carb plate with no issues. Ours have 3 rounded slots where the hook goes so you can tune the tilt of the engine or engine/trans combo.

 

Tell me more about filling the converter. I am not rebuilding the tranny and I am using the old converter (has only about 20,000 miles since last rebuilt). I was going to leave upside do for a couple of days to drain (will this work?) do I need to refill somehow before reinstalling? Also how many quarts of fluid with a drained converter?

 

I've always drained as much fluid as would come out.......you'll never get it all out unless you drill a drain hole and tap it for a plug. I wouldn't do that though..........just drain out what you can. It should take between 1 and 3 qts. depending on the converter and how empty you were able to drain out of it.

Filling it first is a good idea even though as soon as the motor starts it will fill with fluid anyway......just don't run the sump dry. Filling it first helps to prevent that from happening. :bglasses:

 

To transport the engine on a trailer use 2x4's to build a cradle to set the engine on.

 

I use a intake manifold plate i made two eye hooks
and a forklift
makes a fun job and trans attached

 

You can get the same lift plate from www.harborfreight.com
for $8 compared to Jegs for $15.

Works with your shop crane to make engine removal easier. 1,200 lb. capacity allows the removal of the engine and transmission together. Using carburetor bolt holes, it handles most V6 and V8 engines.
Plate capacity: 1,200 lbs.
Plate dimensions: 6-3/16''W x 6-11/16''L

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46044

If you divide the weight of the engine and trans as unit for installation by 4 grade 8 bolts, you are only looking at 300 lbs per bolt max tension. That is nothing for a grade 8 bolt.

I have the engine leveler and have used the chain method for engine installation. Get a lift plate. Have an assistant guide the trans tail shaft under the car so it does not hit the floor pans. Make sure you remove the trans x-mbr back and then use a small floor jack to raise the trans by placing a wood 2x6 across the trans pan. Jack up the trans enough so you can slide the x-mbr back into position.

 

Don't like the intake manifold plate idea, I know that the bolts are strong enough but what is the strength rating on the aluminum threads in the intake, especially if it's a used intake, cast iron should be OK. I use Shurkeys method using a longer chain and a bolt and nut to make a loop in it.

Dave Berry

 

Engine Transport

When I delivered my 455 From FL through TN to NC, I had a Pallet flipped over, set some tires on top of it. Then aligned the oil pan drain area so if it did Compress the tire it'd just go into the open area between the pallet braces. Was fine for the 1500 miles it took me to get there. To keep it from rocking, I set some 4X4 pieces of wood on either side of the engine and tightned the straps against them.

 

yea man

I never picked it up with an aluminum intake will throw on a stock one for lifting ..for sue .. then i at least feel better

shop crane works great also

i also use it with nylon starp to change remove hoods doors
then i do not have to ask for help..on those late nights

 

I used my load leveling attachment to pull the SBC out of my 92 pick up. Yes it does allow the engine to hang WAY low compared to how low the ram was. It did lift it high enough to clear the oil-pan over the radiator support though.

On the subject of tranporting that engine, do yourself a big favor and avoid potential problems. Get the wood and an oil pan for a template and just build an appropriate frame to hold the engine by the oil pan rails. Get the tie downs you need to hold the thing securely in the truck or on the trailer and tie that thing down tight. Learned a lesson about that lot's of years ago when using my then bosses' fresh out of the body shop Datsun pickup to haul the blown up engine out of my Riv off the the bone yard and pick up another.

Not being a complete idiot, I tied the engine to one of the bed hooks. The best I had was twine but, hey I'm a good driver right? What could happen? Apparently what could happen was that the 16 year old teeny bopper in front of me does a YesNoYesNoYesNoYES Lock Up The Brakes Stop on a yellow light. I hit the brakes and heard that engine start to slide forward, chain rattling and then I swear it felt like I got rear ended. Whacked my head on the rear window hard enough to make me see stars.

The dent was in the exact shape of the fan clutch and pushed the front of the bed up hard enough to dent the back of the cab. The bed was bent enough that the gap between the bed and cab was now only about 1/8" rather than the full 1" or so it had been.

:Smarty: Moral of the Story:That engine is VERY heavy, can inflict serious damage to sheet metal and injure or even kill a person if it shifts uncontrollably or comes off the trailer and last but not least, you won't have to figure out whether to repair or replace that oil pan and the valve covers after they get bent up by contacting the wrong stuff at the wrong time. ou: