Engine Stand Selection

[ForcedFirebird]

Yup. Need to buy the bell housing bolts, the stockers are too short to go through the stands.

[Raffaelli]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=67015

This is it. I got one, It was fairly cheap to boot. Had my 4.9 Ford inline on it Things like 5 ft long...

Anyway, its my hands down winner, cept two things.

It weighs a cool 400 lbs (Not really, but a ton)
It fades to limp wrist pink in about two years, your call.

[jmgtp]

If I had more to spend that would have been the one I got. It has a few features I liked such as fold up legs, 'v' shaped stance for stability, and that extra strap holding connecting the top to bottom for support.

Instead I got the 1k lb non folder for about half the price. It should work well for my use.

[jmgtp]

Quick thought guys... the engine is going from the palette to the stand tonight. I bought 4 grade 8 bolts to mount it.

I'm having second thoughts on my grade choice now. Reason being, grade 8 bolts may have more tensile strength than grade 5 HOWEVER it is not tensile strength that is being tested here - it is shear strength. Where a grade 5 bolt would bend under too much shear pressure a grade 8 will SNAP! You tell me which is worse!

Now, I realize my little 660 is probably not heavy enough for this to happen should I be at all concerned with my grade 8 choice? What about a fully loaded 660 (all the accessories)?

Also - what would you torque the bolts too? I was thinking of looking up the torque spec for the trans securing bolts and using that as my spec but again I may be overthinking. Is as tight as I can make it with a ratchet good enough? Or maybe I should use the torque wrench and secure to something like 75 ft lbs?

I overthink everything

once again, thank you - John

[robertisaar]

I overthink everything

NOTHING wrong with that....

torqueing them: keep going until it starts to get easier, then back off 3/4 turn

[WrathOfSocrus]

Well technically since they are metric bolts you won't be using grade 5 or 8. The bolts on my stand now are 3 8.8's and a 10.9. With the one alignment pin in the block it makes mounting the engine tedious. I guess I could have made it work somehow, or ruin the dowel taking it out, but I opted to use washers so the arms were attached more evenly. I got 8 washers n found out i needed more like 12, so for the last bolt I didn't have washers for I used a spare socket to take up the slack. It ended up fitting great so it's now a part of my stand.

I didn't tighten the bolts down hard, just snug. You would figure if you put 500 pounds of clamping force on it then that's 500 pounds less weight it can hold up. I'm exaggerating but that's how I looked at it. It is more important to have bolts the proper length. You want them to have a healthy amount of threads to bite into. Even with the washers and that dowel spacing the engine off the stand it holds up fine. I have dragged that stand with a complete motor from my garage through my house, up and down the concrete curb, torqued all the bolts including the balancer bolt on the stand with no issues. It can hold the weight of a complete engine and the 170 pounds or so of me on it with no issue.

[jmgtp]

...I opted to use washers so the arms were attached more evenly.

Exactly what I did.
And yes, you are right they are 8.8s.

As of 9pm last night the engine is mounted snug to the stand and waiting to be worked on. I used the torque wrench just to be sure and secured all bolts to 50 ft/lbs. I was surprised at how easy it is to roll it around on the stand. I gave it some good jossels and it would wobble just a bit but I had no fear of a tip. It did end up sitting just a bit higher than I had hoped.... I'd say the top of the intake manifold is clost to 4' off the ground.

[pocket-rocket]

Quick thought guys... the engine is going from the palette to the stand tonight. I bought 4 grade 8 bolts to mount it.

I'm having second thoughts on my grade choice now. Reason being, grade 8 bolts may have more tensile strength than grade 5 HOWEVER it is not tensile strength that is being tested here - it is shear strength. Where a grade 5 bolt would bend under too much shear pressure a grade 8 will SNAP! You tell me which is worse!

My fully assembled 95 LQ1 has been on the stand for over a year. You have nothing to worry about