Way back...I mean WAY back, when I was 15-16 or so, I was a little grease monkey.

A couple of friends and I had had a few beat up Camaros and a Chevy Malibu that we kept running, and beating up severely. Needless to say, an engine swap was a very common activity.

Thing is, that was 40 or so years ago. I remember that we used a lever hoist and a "home built" angle iron tripod to pull engines with. I know that those vehicles are much lower to the ground, hence the tripod legs would be much shorter, but I was wondering if someone here has such a thing that they use on our trucks successfully.

I really don't have a place to store a shop crane, or a tree with a good branch to throw a chain around that's convenient. I would like to build/have built a tripod for my F-150 and Bronco that I could just fold up and hang on the laundry barn wall when I don't need it.

Does anyone here have one of these that they can share the specifications of with me? Leg lengths and how the tripod is connected together? Maybe even a pic or two? It's been so long ago that I don't remember how it was connected at the top, but I do remember that it had small safety chains around the sides that prevented the legs from spreading out when it had a load.

Thanks!

 

Wee have a swing set we built to pull motors. Has four parts all together and is easy to take apart.

First you need material to build 2 A Frame ends with a round collar or what ever your cross beam will be(we used a 6inch pipe with a 4inch pipe on the inside for strengh). Be sure the bottom of the legs are wide engough so it doesn't tip easy. side your cross beam into both legs and stand the frame up. Put a hoist on the cross beam and you can pull all the motors you want. Plus you can take it aprt to move.

Look at a swing set to get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

 

Finny, for a second I thought you built a play set for your kids and made it strong enough to use as an engine hoist...

Ok kids! Off the slide, daddy's got to swap an engine...

 

You could alway build one double wide that way when the wife tells you to watch the kids they have there side and you have yours! It's a win/win sitution.

 

How's the side to side stability?

Sounds like a great idea, and it could double as a bench swing for those cool autumn evenings...

 

This is why I love you guys...!!

 

here is what we use for anything that out regular engine hoist will not get out.



it is very stable as long as it is on level ground.

 

That is exactly what I am talking about ours will disassemble.

Stability is all in how far the a frame is spread.

 

This is great. Now I know what my first project will be when I get my MIG this year.

I hope Santa thought I was really good this year...there are rumors to that affect anyways.