Please help this poor ignorant newbie. I have my engine out sitting on a cherry picker. I want to mount it on my engine stand, but I have no idea which end of the engine it bolts to. According to the bolt pattern on the stand, it looks like it should fit on the tranny end, but the flywheel is in the way. Does the flywheel get pulled, or am I sniffing the wrong end of the dog!? Please use simple language.

 

Yes, remove the flywheel and it should bolt right up.

 

Whew, that's a relief. Is the only way to get the flywheel off is with a puller? Is that a common item to rent?

 

Well Jason, I've only worked with one engine stand - the one I have now. Mine has four arms bolted to a plate. The plate can rotate on a bearing, and can be locked at various rotation positions with a pin.

Each of the four arms can be extended or shortened, and they can be rotated on the bolt that holds them to the plate. The ends of the arms that bolt onto the engine have a heavy tube welded on them at right angles to the arms. The bolts that actually mount the engine to the stand go through these tubes. Since the tubes stick out about 4 inches or so, you could "reach around" the flywheel if you wanted I think. I removed the flywheel first (for other reasons) before I mounted my engine.

By the way, I didn't want to mess with getting bolts the exact length I needed to go through the tubes and into the holes in the block. I just used pieces of threaded rod (cut a little long) with washers and nuts to mount each arm to my engine block.

As far as which end of the engine to put the stand on, it seems natural to use the bell housing mounting holes since they are fairly beefy and are designed to take a lot of load. If you had a block with a relatively flat front end and a set of beefy holes, I don't see any reason you couldn't put the stand on the front of the block. I've just never seen one, or a picture of one, on the front.

Good luck!

 

Not sure what engine you are working on but you shouldn't need a puller. Give it some gentle taps or prying if you're sure all the bolts are out. Watch it because they are very heavy and it may come off suddenly. You'll need a puller for the harmonic balancer on the front of the crankshaft, in front of engine.

 

Earls right about the stand (As usual). As fenders said tap it with a hammer. It's easier if the oil pan is off (my second engine didn't have one on it). One smack it's off. Usually the flywheel covers something on the end of the block so it's better to remove it now. Geeze George every toy you get is better than most peoples. Like you have a bearing for rotation and mine is metal on metal. Sometimes it gets stuck and I have to reef on it. It probally has rubber wheels too. I just have my PowerFist stand that is yellow and black.

 

Now Nathan, lots of my stuff is home made and crappy. You've certainly seen the Frankenstein hydraulic press.

The engine stand I got as a Christmas present from my son, Evan, and my wife a few years ago. My arthritis had gotten a lot worse, and they didn't want me "reefing" on an engine stand with 550 lbs of engine on it. At least that's what they told me. Maybe my wife didn't think it was worth the amount of life insurance I had to get one without a bearing. As far as the wheels go, they are just steel wheels. If you have an engine on the stand and run over an air hose, you get some real excitement in the shop. Guess that's why my dogs are both neurotic.

 

"Like you have a bearing for rotation and mine is metal on metal. Sometimes it gets stuck and I have to reef on it."

Nathan

True story, just last year one of my Gubmint mechanics was fired for reefing. Though I don't recall him using our bearingless engine stand. Apparently they can tell you been reefin, even after you put the stand away. I don't know for sure, but I would recommend you ask for a bearing type engine stand for Christmas to be safe.

Barb apparently understands this and that's why George already has one. In some states, if you got arthritus or other chronic pain, you are allowed to use the standard bearingless engine stands, long as you get a reefing prescription. I'm not an attorney so I dunno about Ohio laws for sure.

Hope I've cleared this up Nathan. Maybe Fergy could explain it better to you, since he's a Canadian.

'fenders
"Just say No to bearingless engine stands"

 

Reefin products are considered a "Cash Crop" in Sufvern Ohia.

 

You can sort of tell when I traded engines the paint was worn in a spot. It only happens when you try to turn the engine upside down. I didn't know you had arthritis George, so sorry. I've had my stand like for 3 weeks and I've put it through alot. 3/4 socket on the crank and twited the whole engine sidways. Got the jack and jacked it up will standing on one side to straighten it again. I loosened the bolts and tightened them after. Used a big prybar to move it over a 2x4.