I can't seem to figure out a good way to secure a 4-chain engine leveller (from hoist) to my FE. When I took the engine out, it was easy as I had the heads off.

Now I can find holes for bolts at the front left and the right rear of the heads, and on the right front of the block just below the right head, but nothing on the left rear.

I was thinking of temporarily removing the left rear manifold bolt and inserting a longer one, but don't want to crack the aluminum manifold. Don't want to remove the rocker arm supports as the lash is all set. Can't use the bellhousing holes as the connection has to last until after the bellhousing is bolted to the block.

Ford only uses two chains, left front, and right rear, but that can be a little "iffy" using a leveller and trying to line the tranny up.

I can't count the number of engines I've removed and installed. Always so easy. But this time...."My mind has stopped working"!

 

Well, my leveler(older model) has open hooks and I just hook them in the outer exhaust ports. Works perfect, as no bolts needed.

 

I use an engine lifting plate, like the below. I find I don't need the leveler.



http://www.thefind.com/cars/info-engine-lifting-plate

 

Thanks guys. I don't have hooks, just "L" brackets, but Freightrain's method gave me an idea. I had dismissed the top exhaust manifold hole as the casting isn't too beefy there, but had forgotten about the bottom exhaust manifold bolt. Not a large bolt, but with 4 chains, it should be fine. I shall have to have a closer look. Thanks Freightrain!

I've seen those plates Maxtor, and they scare me. An FE with cast iron manifold weighs in around 750 lbs, and those carb mounting bolts arn't very big. However, I'm sure they work with grade 8 bolts into a cast iron manifold. My situation is a bit different with a 2x4 aluminum manifold. I really find the leveller useful as the engine is going in a tight engine compartment and has a clutch to line up.

The easiest installation I ever did was when I was rebuilding my 66 Mustang. I bolted the engine and tranny together first and put the whole thing in as one unit. Only one of those tiny 289s though.....LOL.

Thanks again Guys!

 

I have always used the end head bolts with a longer bolt and a flat washer under it...and used a couple shop wrags in between the cain and anything purty that might come in contact with the chain... Works for me...

On the carb pads..yes those scare the hell out of me...But I know plenty of guys that use them and like them too... I always install motor and trans as a unit..I'am getting to old to reach up around and have to find Bell housing holes !

 

You know, I had a longer post which I put in yesterday, at the exact same time the site went down for maintenance (so it didn't go through), so my last post above, was a shorter version. Anyway, I did address the head bolts.

Although I am a Ford Truck enthusiest (Have a 99 F250SD), my FE is for my hobby car. The left rear outside head bolt is almost impossible to re-torque once the engine is in the car due to the driver's footwell being in the way. The inner left rear head bolt is under after-market end support stands. Also, I really dont' like to loosen a bolt that has a freshly installed with a new gasket under it, although it probably wouldn't hurt anything. But I will. Next time, I think I will do that.....just leave the rocker assembly off until after installation so I can access the head bolts. I could do that now, just a re-lash for my solid lifters required. But I'm going to check out the bottom exhaust stud hole first.

Being in a small car explains why I like the leveller. I have to jack the front of the tranny up at an angle and slide the engine in at an angle, then lower the whole thing down. It's a tight fit. Worst part is yet to come....installing and tightening some of the lower exhaust header bolts. Hard to get at some of them, even from underneath. In fact I have one wrench I heated and bent for the purpose, but it's an 1/8th turn at a time. Time consuming, but actually starting the bolt is the difficult part.

I'm actually laughing at myself for having this installation problem. Such a simple task......LOL.

Oh....those carb plates......technically, if they are 5/16 bolts with a solid cross section of 1/4" (taking into account the threads don't add to the cross-section), grade 8, probably 180,000 psi tensile strength, the 4 of them would hold about 35,000 lbs before breaking. I know 750 lbs is not a lot for a bolt to hold, just a lot to man-handle around. But when my engine is on the engine stand (which is beefy and rated for over 1000 lbs) and I get the heads on, the whole thing is very springy whenever I do work on it. Gives me the feeling that the engine is very, very heavy.

So, better safe than sorry I suppose.

 

If you think about it, the four 5/16 bolts are like having one 1 1/4 bolt. Two 3/8 bolts are like having one 3/4 bolt. I use grade 8 bolts and do not have any concerns about the bolts strength. However, since I use aluminum intake manifolds, I do worry about the aluminum threads in the intake manifold, so because of this I do not install the transmission with the engine at one time.
If someone had figures on the strength of the threads on the intake, probably my concerns would not be valid, but that is the way I do it now. I have a leveler, and both ways work.
The weakest link is the chain.. The chain we use has links that are 5/16 or 3/8 most of the time.

 

Well, I don't think so unless the bolts have a square cross-section. But i take your point.

Bolt ratings are here:

http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/bolts..._strength.html

Looks like my rough calculations were close. From the link, the 5/16" bolt takes 7850 lbs, so 4 would be about 31400. Should be able to find out some thread info on aluminum, but I guess the depth of the bolt would play some factor there.

Mind you, it's not likely the load would be shared equally at all times, but never-the-less, it does look good for lifting the engine that way.

Regardless, I just got back from the garage. Engine is in. Worst one I did for being fiddley. Hard to explain to my "help" how to wiggle and push back to get tranny shaft into splined clutch and then pilot bearing. But they did good for the first time.

Thanks to all who posted. Cheers!!

 

The hooks I have work nicely as they snag on the outer end of the head(exh port), which keeps the chain out of the way, sorta as I feed them to the outside and once there is weight on them it pulls tight and stays put.


Glad to have given you an idea. That's what we are here for.

 

Gee, I had no problem using leveler with my alum intake just get 1/2" longer bolts and a few washer tighten them down lift the motor some so the brackets go to the pulling alignment re-tighten, Most of the carb plates our only rated at 550-lbs stock fe's our like 650lbs. I would trust one one a alum intake thou..my 2 cents
orich