I'm looking for a decent engine stand in the area of $100, give or take a little.
I'm not going to become a professional engine builder, so I don't need a top of the line stand. I need one to rebuild one or two engines and I don't have anybody to borrow one from. I don't want to rent one because it might take me awhile to get them rebuilt.
I see PAW has a 1250 LB stand in their catalog for $100, but I'm not too sure what to look for in a stand in that price range.

 

you should be able to get an adequate stand for about $65. just be sure it has 4 wheels not three as they aren't stable enough. Unless you're pulling and working on diesels you don't need a 1250 lb. stand as most small blocks weigh between 450 and 600 lbs and even a 460 only weighs 750 and I think it's the heaviest gas "car" ,light truck engine Ford makes.

 

Moved to correct forum.

 

Check Harbor Freight and Northern Hydraulics, they should have good deals, and usually free shipping on this kind of stuff. Just make sure, as was previously stated, you try and get one with 4 wheels, not 3. I use a 3 wheeled one, and it works fine, but 4 would be better.

 

I have a couple really cheap ones; they're alright for V-8's, but when I bolted up my 300 straight six, it scared me too much!

 

Might check out northerntools.com They have a range from cheaper house brand through really expensive. Good for price comparison anyway.

 

There are some threads on this subject in this forum.

 

If you can weld and have a drill press, you should be able to build one for less than $100. I built the one I used to rebuild a 300 six and a 302. Got materials at scrap price from the local scrap yard (about 30 bucks if I remember right-it was a long time ago). It worked great, then I sold it for $75. The hardest part was cutting slots in the mounting plate. Only because I wanted them to be smooth and it is hard to cut perfectly straight and smooth with an OA torch. Got any buddies with a welder and OA torch? You can knock one out in about 6 hours or less!
I know it would have been cheaper to buy one if you figure in a cost for your time-I just like to do things myself when I can.

 

Want to keep your feet til your old and gray? Buy a stand that is made to specs. Why mess with your safety and well being for a couple of bucks? Autozone and Jegs and places like these carry them for about $65-$100.

 

Find a large car show near you...one with a swap meet. At the larger shows, many times there's a tent set-up that's full of Chinese tools. They sell engine stands cheap. I own two stands that I bought from those vendors, and they work just fine.

MR

 

Boy. I don't want to start an argument here or anything, but what is the point of learning to weld if not to use the skill? It is perfectly reasonable for someone who can weld to manufacture things to use around the shop. I mean, if we all didn't have some "DIYer" in us, these forums would be pointless. I could just as easily say to Suthrnslew: "Want to save your life and not have your self-rebuilt engine crap out on you in the middle of an intersection and then get T-boned? Spend the money and have a performance shop do all the work."
And I have seen many examples of chinese equipment as well. I'd much rather risk my toes with something I know is built sturdily enough to perform the task I am asking of it than buy some of the junk sold in Harbor Freight.
Dang!
Not trying to be hostile-please don't misinterpret these comments as being antagonistic. Just one man's point of view.

 

There is always a make/buy decision. Sometimes I find it easier to buy and modify if necessary rather than fabricate from scratch. I have used several of those Harbor Freight stands and the 4-wheel versions work great. The 3 wheel version is an accident waiting to happen. I personally own a 4-wheel unit and it has held up well to two engines already. I may make a few improvements before I use it again to make it even more stable.

If you check out many of the higher priced parts store engine stands you may find they are the same as the Harbor Freight unit just a different color paint. Most of them have a "made in China" label anyway, sometimes they carry a "assembled in USA" label. You do realize there is a city in China called USA.

 

Hey if your a welder and you know what the difference between flowing a bead of weld and globbing some metal together is, than more power to you. I was gearing my answer to the guy who has no idea what welding is all about but has watched his dad or friend do it and said "hey I can do that!" Don't kid yourself. Your talking about cantilevering a 500# cast iron engine hooked to a 1/4" piece of flat plate welded to a 2" round 1/4" thick sleeve. Talk about a stress joint! You have to be careful advising someone to do something that is dangerous if they don't have the know-how or the expertise to do it. If the guy who needs a motor stand is a qualified welder, he already knows he can weld one together to save money and doesn't need someone to suggest it to him.

The reason I am making this point, is my idiot brother who has very little knowledge of construction or load distribution, took his "buddys" advise and decided to use the cross beam in his garage to hold up a power lift so he could pull his motor out of his pickup. It held for about 5 minutes, cracked the beam in half and collapsed half his roof in. His buddy failed to tell him the beam in his dad's garage was a metal I-beam not a 4x6 spaning 14'.

 

The same Chinese-made engine stands are for sale at all the major auto parts stores. As with jacks and jack stands from that source, the load ratings seem a bit on the optimistic side. Perhaps the manufacturers feel safely out of reach of the product liability laws of the USA. I would personally recommend the larger of the two sizes.

The arrangement for rotating the engine about its longitudinal axis is nothing more than a pipe and sleeve arrangement, secured by a pin. Be careful when you pull that pin out. A top-heavy engine like an I6 tends to get away from you and flop over.

 

I bough a cheap one when I rebuilt my 5.0L. The one thing I added was a 2x4 with a V cut into one end to prop up the crank/damper while I worked on the engine. It makes it a lot more stable. You might need a few different lengths depending on where the crank/damper ends up while rotating the engine.