engine hoist for straight eight

[dhughens]

I needed an engine stand for a Pontiac straight eight that I am building and didn't feel a standard engine stand would hold it up without sagging too much. I decided to build one that would be stout enough to hold the weight. Finding a $50 hoist that had bent legs and no ram, I straightened the legs with a floor jack and chain and turned it into an engine stand. The hoist is still functional when the engine head is removed. The DOM tubing, 2-1/2" x 1/8" and 2-1/4" x 1/4", was $1.25 a pound at the metal surplus outlet. I cut the 2-1/2" at 12inches and the 2-1/4" at 18inches. Cutting the 2-1/2" hole in the stand with the diamond cutter was a major chore. I used an engine stand head from a harbor freight stand. The head inside diameter was just over 2-1/4" so the DOM 2-1/4" x 1/4" fit inside and I welded them together. I'm not much of a welder but it's strong and it works. A 12" x 16" x 1/2" plate was bolted to the back of the engine and the head was bolted to the plate. I intended to use a hanging turnbuckle at the front of the engine for extra support but it doesn't seem to be needed.

 

[dhughens]

I needed an engine stand for a Pontiac straight eight that I am building and didn't feel a standard engine stand would hold it up without sagging too much. I decided to build one that would be stout enough to hold the weight. Finding a $50 hoist that had bent legs and no ram, I straightened the legs with a floor jack and chain and turned it into an engine stand. The hoist is still functional when the engine head is removed. The DOM tubing, 2-1/2" x 1/8" and 2-1/4" x 1/4", was $1.25 a pound at the metal surplus outlet. I cut the 2-1/2" at 12inches and the 2-1/4" at 18inches. Cutting the 2-1/2" hole in the stand with the diamond cutter was a major chore. I used an engine stand head from a harbor freight stand. The head inside diameter was just over 2-1/4" so the DOM 2-1/4" x 1/4" fit inside and I welded them together. I'm not much of a welder but it's strong and it works. A 12" x 16" x 1/2" plate was bolted to the back of the engine and the head was bolted to the plate. I intended to use a hanging turnbuckle at the front of the engine for extra support but it doesn't seem to be needed.

More Pics:

 

[Jagmandave]

At school we hung a lot of big heavy engines in HF stands, we just added a support strut to the front......we had hemis, straight 6's and even a few diesels on them. Yours looks stout enough to do the job!

 

[NHtoolguy]

More Pics:

What a great-looking block of classic cast iron! It does look heavy!

 

[nutjob]

Someone here added some truck brake parts to the engine stand to rotate the engine easily. These are the NAPA part numbers they used. I picked them up and some day may modify my stand to use them....

AIR BRAKE S CAMSHAFT
Part #: TWD CAM175RQ

BRAKE SLACK ADJUSTER
Part #: TWD MSA105A

Kevin

 

[Beerhippie]

I haven't seen a combo hoist/stand before. Great idea and execution!

 

[M.Brane]

My solution for the Navistar/Ford 6.0 diesel was to use 2 HF stands mated together. The cam has to come out the back of the 6.0 so you need to support it from the engine mounts for a complete disassembly. Yeah you can purchase a setup for this if money is no object. Since I have fab skills I did it myself.

 

[67CarGuy]

I'm digging these homebrew setups. Keep 'em coming!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I'm digging these homebrew setups. Keep 'em coming!

Here is an engine mount I made from a very heavy duty dual wheel caster and a truck brake slack adjuster. A short peice of splined shaft couples the slack adjuster to a socket which fits the caster nut. I only needed the rotating head which I bolt to the side of my bench when I need an engine stand. Most times it's out of the way under the bench.

I have two benches that easily handle the weight of most engines. The head can also be mounted to a more traditional engine stand. I used the 16" Wheels form the surplus caster for the bench. We test run the engines on this thing and the clear space below is great to have.

 

[Packard V8]

Back when the Pontiac straight-eight was new, there were engine stands with adapters for the various long iron to attach to the side of the block in the middle. That kept the weight centered rather than cantilevered out.


Today, Cummins builders do a similar mod.

jack vines

 

[Jagmandave]

I have an adaptor plate for my old Blackhawk engine stand that lets me attach the classic Mini engines I build on the side also. Works well as the Mini gearbox is bolted to the bottom of the engine and is also the engine sump.

I had to build leg extensions for the casters so that the engine hoist legs would go under the stand, otherwise I couldn't use the hoist to lift the engine onto the stand. It was a PITA!

 

[M.Brane]

I had to build leg extensions for the casters so that the engine hoist legs would go under the stand, otherwise I couldn't use the hoist to lift the engine onto the stand. It was a PITA!

You can see in my 3rd pic where I stacked the original HF caster beams on top of my extended ones when I discovered the hoist wouldn't fit underneath. Sometimes you get lucky. I'd rather be lucky than good.