Mechanics Step In! ? On Engines You Remove From The Bottom!

[SGRIM]

I depend my bothers to help me stay in the main stream, I need you again!

We are getting more and more cars at the shop that the engines should be removed from the bottom. Well my guys keep saying we need something to drop the engine on and wheel it out.

I have one of the rolling tables, platform, whatever you want to call it from Harbor Freight. Well after about 200#'s that is the enod of those support shocks....

What do you guys use? Seems the cherry picker is old tech

 

[novaderrik]

i'll assume you have a 2 post lift..

build a heavy duty table with some heavy casters on it.. lift the car up on the hoist, unhook everything except for the last few bolts.. set the cradle down on the table, take out the last few bolts, and then lift the car back up..

if you have a 4 post drive on lift, then i don't know..

 

[John Larkin]

I've seen the guys on Wheeler Dealers use a toolbox but yeah, it would have to support 600 lbs. I have a small welding table in my garage made from 3" water pipe with a 1/8" steel top that would support an immense amount of weight. All it needs is casters. Might think of getting some scrap and building one.

 

[chopped39]

When I worked at Carmax we had the Otc lifting table.I dont like it because it bounces when going up and the platform is too high off the ground to start with. When I do them at home I have a heavy duty wood four wheel dolly. I just pull flywheel bolts and everything else before setting it on dolly and then just lift body up and slide dolly out.
It all depends what kind of car it is. When I do a Honda Pilot or Caddy I use jack stands. Alot of people freak when they have to lower the frame. If Im doing a gm engine I will lower frame.People laugh but I can have it down in about 2 hrs if there are no problems and then swapping engine takes 1/2 hour. Its nice because if the car needs a steering gear or any mounts its right there. I know otc makes a lifting table that is a scissor type that goes straight up and down that would be cool. My buddy has an overhead crane thats nice .Its real nice for doing the 6.0 diesel. Good luck

 

[SGRIM]

Hmm, interesting thanks guys. I was thinking same type things but figured someone made one for sure...

 

[MNcarbturbo]

Basically anything to lift. Only used the big truck once. Use a A frame crane on the back of an F350 from now on though.

A 2 post lift would be super easy. Or if you have a good roof just get a chain hoist and put a hook on the roof. Thing I dont like about a cherrypicker for it is that they dont really lift up enough and you cant get at the vehicle from the front. I just build a roller cart from used 2X6 that I had salvaged from my car trailer and heavy duty casters. Works great! Probably should weld one out of steel if your going to use it a lot. I like the wood one because its easy to change the length. Mine sits on the K member and rear trans mount.

 

[oldsracer]

a heavy duty trans jack would do the trick, thats what we use

 

[oldsracer]

On bigger/heavier motors we actually unbolted everything, took the tires off, lowered it as far as possible then used a cherry picker to place it on the ground/supports. Then just raised the vehicle off of the motor.

 

[Tom87GN]

Holy crap. That is scary.

 

[novaderrik]

why is it scary? the truck and the slings are probably rated for way more than the probably way less than 1000 pounds that it's actually lifting...

 

[oldsracer]

why is it scary? the truck and the slings are probably rated for way more than the probably way less than 1000 pounds that it's actually lifting...

Yeah but is that wire touching the boom? Even if its just a cable wire thats still not safe or okay to do.

 

[bison]

Build a steel frame table with casters. Make sure two of the casters have brakes on them. You could also make it so that you can use a hydraulic jack like a floor jack to fine tune the height since it's often a pain in the ass trying to drop the lift a quarter inch or any small amount needed to get lined up. If you make it like a pallet jack make the handle removable. There's a lot different ways you can make it so that everything is stable when sitting on it.

 

[MNcarbturbo]

It was a cable TV wire. The houses were put in before cable existed and they never did a great job retrofitting the town and they hang low. It barely even rested on it. Walked back, took the pic, noticed it, lowered the boom. I should photoshop that wire out. Your not the first person to say something but the house still has cable so its not big deal. No, its not overly OK to do but neither is driving at 60 in a 55 zone. Nothing fell down, no harm no foul. The lines in town often get half an inch of ice coated on them in the winter anyways so its not like it was falling down any time soon.

As usual, Bison has a great idea. The pallet jack itself would work amazing. Low, adjustable, ect.

 

[Tom87GN]

It was a cable TV wire. The houses were put in before cable existed and they never did a great job retrofitting the town and they hang low. It barely even rested on it. Walked back, took the pic, noticed it, lowered the boom. I should photoshop that wire out. Your not the first person to say something but the house still has cable so its not big deal. No, its not overly OK to do but neither is driving at 60 in a 55 zone. Nothing fell down, no harm no foul. The lines in town often get half an inch of ice coated on them in the winter anyways so its not like it was falling down any time soon.

That's kinda funny.....cause I was just commenting on how scary it looked that the car was lifted that high in the front. I'm in construction and I didn't even notice the OH lines running all over......go figure.

 

[chopped39]

Yeah but is that wire touching the boom? Even if its just a cable wire thats still not safe or okay to do.

The cable line is fine. Its the 45kv line above it that you dont want to touch. We had a truck that hit a 250 kv line and it blew all ten tires .

 

[87GNSteve]

Sawzall.

 

[jay dcpt]

at home or at work i just use jackstands, when i have the frame sitting on the stands i just lift the car all the way up and work underneath it. But thats with having acess to a two post lift.

 

[Bruce Urie]

Just turn it upside down, then lift the engine out........ Careful, don't spill any oil.

Bruce '87 Grand National

 

[jimmymack87gn]

Love the OTC lift table. removed many fwd engine/transaxle assemblies, Camaro/Corvette engines & Vette transaxle/driveline support assemblies. Works awesome.

 

[JayC]

I depend my bothers to help me stay in the main stream, I need you again!

We are getting more and more cars at the shop that the engines should be removed from the bottom. Well my guys keep saying we need something to drop the engine on and wheel it out.

I have one of the rolling tables, platform, whatever you want to call it from Harbor Freight. Well after about 200#'s that is the enod of those support shocks....

What do you guys use? Seems the cherry picker is old tech

You should have two of them. They came with the BWR stuff. Thats how modular Ford engines came out.