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Engine Hoist Long Enough to Put Engine in From the Front?
I have a fairly long reach 2 ton engine hoist but the arm is not long enough to reach the engine from the front. I removed the engine from my 68 coming in from the side but would much rather install it from the front. I know I could use a gantry but wondering if anyone has found a hoist with a long enough arm to come in from the front. I was looking at a Delco hoist that appears to have a long reach but it shows no specs on actual reach, just lifting heights.
Thanks for any input on this, engine should be ready to back soon.
Chris
Save that $600-$800! Build a temporary hangman's gallows for $150 using 6" by 6" by 8' long pine or oak and 1/2" diameter by 12" long bolts to hold the pieces together.
Rather than a floor-base......use 6" by 6" by 8' long beams placed parallel to the car with trusses similar to the top trusses in the photo to hold the upright part securely in place.
Lift the engine with a rented chain hoist and roll the car under for installation.
"you just can't make this stuff up....LOL!
Last edited by doorgunner; 02-26-2015 at 06:56 PM.
With my Harbor Freight engine hoist, I've removed the SB engine from my 68 and the BB engine from my 1970. I've used it to replace the SB engine into the 68 (ZZ4). The engine hoist cost $179. Both engines were removed with the bellhousing/tranny attached. I did use a load leveler. On both cars, the hood, the radiator and radiator support bracket had been removed. On both cars, best I can remember, I started the engine lift with hoist somewhat sideways to the car. As I started to get the engine lofted, I moved the hoist from the side to the front of the car. (The hoist has casters.) At the same time, I lofted the engine so the oil pan was clearing the front crossmember (normally under the crank damper). BTW. I removed the engines all by myself. With pneumatic tools, it's surprising how relatively fast you can remove an engine/bellhouse/tranny stack.
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The equivalent Snap-On hoist was about $1030. The Harbor Freight unit has good welds, but a very cheap power ram. It will corrode fairly quickly, but the ram is only about $70. So basically after I've used the HB unit, and a year or so later, if I want to use it again, I have to buy a new $70 power ram. I do feel a little guilty about not buying the Snap-On engine hoist and buying Chinese instead.
Last edited by 68/70Vette; 02-26-2015 at 10:12 PM.
I've had a HF hoist for probably 20 years. it still functions correctly.
It originally was not long enough to lift a eng out the front of a corvette.
I did put a longer boom arm on it so I could lift from the front.
Problems are Chinese steel is not dimensional like any steel you can buy from a local supplier, so boom will not fit like it should into the lifting head.
Also as you extend that boom the weight will be over the length of the 2 extended feet, it can cause the whole picker to tip
Last edited by AzMotorhead; 02-27-2015 at 11:42 AM.
The problem with building a wooden truss is overhead clearance. I considered building one, but the electric garage door opener mechanism limited the available height so that the engine/chain hoist wouldn't clear the surround. I have to approach from the side with the two ton hoist. Also, I'd like to punch the guys that laid my cement floor-no matter how I move the car, the wheels from the hoist fall into the expansion slots. Then I have to use a floor jack under the leg to raise the hoist's wheel out of the groove! Every time!
I feel for you guys , fortunately I have a crane that I built on the back of a chevy truck that I have for removing bodies . I just back up to the front of the car and hoist away. The mobile floor hoists that you are talking about don't work well when you have jack stands in the way and they tend to tip when you extend them out too far. Harbor freight sells gantry cranes that would be a great solution at a reasonable cost.
Chris,
I pulled the engine from my SB 69 in October and just dropped it back in a few weeks ago. I encountered the same problem with regards to the reach on the hoist and a frontal approach. I moved the hoist to the driver side and used a lift plate that attaches to the carburetor hole at the top of the intake manifold. This made removing, and replacing the engine from the side a breeze. I did remove the front wheel as well to give plenty of rolling room for the hoist. I placed a jack stand located further in on the lower control arm to support the car while the wheel was removed. As a safety precaution I also place two other jack stands in locations out of the way just in case the jack stand under the lower control arm was somehow compromised.
As a side note I removed engine and bell-housing together. The 4 speed trans was removed from under the car earlier. Prior to removing the trans you will need to put and keep support under the bell-housing at all times until the weight of the engine is transferred to the hoist. I used a bottle jack for support.
Best of luck,
Norm
[QUOTE=68/70Vette;1589060099]The Harbor Freight unit has good welds, but a very cheap power ram. It will corrode fairly quickly, but the ram is only about $70. So basically after I've used the HB unit, and a year or so later, if I want to use it again, I have to buy a new $70 power ram. QUOTE]
Any hydraulic ram (even floor jacks) last longer if they are stored with the cylinder closed. Keeps the rod from corroding.
I feel for you guys , fortunately I have a crane that I built on the back of a chevy truck that I have for removing bodies . I just back up to the front of the car and hoist away. The mobile floor hoists that you are talking about don't work well when you have jack stands in the way and they tend to tip when you extend them out too far. Harbor freight sells gantry cranes that would be a great solution at a reasonable cost.
I used the Harbor freight gantry crane and it worked great. With a sale and a coupon it was a bargain. Solid as a rock.
Like Boswell says, I removed and installed from the drivers side with the driver front wheel removed. This using a HF type of hoist. Did it myself with a 4 spd tranny installed on the engine.
02-26-2015, 05:32 PM
Engine Hoist Long Enough to Put Engine in From the Front?
I used the Harbor freight gantry crane and it worked great. With a sale and a coupon it was a bargain. Solid as a rock. 
