for many years Ive used an engine crane in the shop to pull engines, and it became very obvious that some mods to the system were darn near MANDATORY,
if your one of the guys that uses a carb plate to lift engines out ...
well guys IM going to disagree, with thaty as the best route for a few reasons
(1) Ive seen two separate times when one or more of the bolts, in those plates pulled threads out on old aluminum intakes,yes the threads were already corroded, or perhaps the bolts were not long enough, or the guys used the carb studs and didn,t check thread depth
(2) they are a P.I.T.A. to use during an install or removal because they will not maintain either consistent and easily adjustable angle or prevent the engine from wanting to spin on its axis to some location
(3) there is a better way
it starts with a swivel link so the engine stays in any clock index in the engine its placed in without swinging back, and with a tilter a consistant and adjustable angle of approach can be maintained
get the 2400 lb rated screw links
then you use a tilter which makes aligning other components like the transmission or motor mounts a good deal easier
adding an engine leveler and swivel to your engine crane makes things far easier
IF you WELD a large thread rod coupler NUT,
in place of the crank arm you can use an air ratchet and socket to quickly adjust the angle. and won,t run into clearance issues turning the crank.
adding a swivel like this between the leveler and crane GREATLY AIDS THE ENGINES REMOVAL, AS IT PREVENTS THE TENDENCY OF THE ENGINE HANGING ON A CHAIN TO CONSTANTLY WANT TO SWING BACK INTO A SINGLE LOCATION, BUT DON,T GET STUPID or CHEAP, GET THE 3400lb rated one not the 1200lb size (REMEMBER YOULL BE UNDER THAT ENGINE SOMETIMES)
youll need two of these rated at similar load strength[/b]
ever engine crane Ive ever seen came with crappy steel wheels about 2.5"-3"in dia.
" the reasons are obvious they are cheap ,and theres clearance issues for the cranes legs if your pulling an engine when the cars NOT up on jack stands, now I can,t see how you can access all the necessary bolts without the car being up on serious,& sturdy jack stands or a lift, so with that in mind I got out the air/die grinder and removed the tack welded steel wheels and added (6) 8" solid rubber wheels on swivels,
rated at 600 lbs each
yeah, the crane will no longer slide under a car thats not up on jack stands, but then I can,t think of a single reason to use a crane to remove an engine when the cars NOT UP ON JACK STANDS because youll need access to all the bolts holding it in durring the process and youll need to support the trans
" ,
YET,ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHY A WELDER IN THE SHOP COMES IN HANDY(welding on new wheels)
this made it SO MUCH EASIER to use its amazing
if your one of the guys that uses a carb plate to lift engines out ...
well guys IM going to disagree, with thaty as the best route for a few reasons
(1) Ive seen two separate times when one or more of the bolts, in those plates pulled threads out on old aluminum intakes,yes the threads were already corroded, or perhaps the bolts were not long enough, or the guys used the carb studs and didn,t check thread depth
(2) they are a P.I.T.A. to use during an install or removal because they will not maintain either consistent and easily adjustable angle or prevent the engine from wanting to spin on its axis to some location
(3) there is a better way
it starts with a swivel link so the engine stays in any clock index in the engine its placed in without swinging back, and with a tilter a consistant and adjustable angle of approach can be maintained
get the 2400 lb rated screw links
then you use a tilter which makes aligning other components like the transmission or motor mounts a good deal easier
adding an engine leveler and swivel to your engine crane makes things far easier
IF you WELD a large thread rod coupler NUT,
adding a swivel like this between the leveler and crane GREATLY AIDS THE ENGINES REMOVAL, AS IT PREVENTS THE TENDENCY OF THE ENGINE HANGING ON A CHAIN TO CONSTANTLY WANT TO SWING BACK INTO A SINGLE LOCATION, BUT DON,T GET STUPID or CHEAP, GET THE 3400lb rated one not the 1200lb size (REMEMBER YOULL BE UNDER THAT ENGINE SOMETIMES)
youll need two of these rated at similar load strength[/b]
ever engine crane Ive ever seen came with crappy steel wheels about 2.5"-3"in dia.
" the reasons are obvious they are cheap ,and theres clearance issues for the cranes legs if your pulling an engine when the cars NOT up on jack stands, now I can,t see how you can access all the necessary bolts without the car being up on serious,& sturdy jack stands or a lift, so with that in mind I got out the air/die grinder and removed the tack welded steel wheels and added (6) 8" solid rubber wheels on swivels,
yeah, the crane will no longer slide under a car thats not up on jack stands, but then I can,t think of a single reason to use a crane to remove an engine when the cars NOT UP ON JACK STANDS because youll need access to all the bolts holding it in durring the process and youll need to support the trans
" ,
YET,ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHY A WELDER IN THE SHOP COMES IN HANDY(welding on new wheels)
this made it SO MUCH EASIER to use its amazing