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I put my engine on a stand some weeks ago. The stand has a special handle with a geared rotating head to rotate the engine.
It has a 400 kg (880 lbs) capacity. The bolts are grade 8.
I'm somewhat hesitant to turn the engine. It's a Small blok 350 but without the fluids, heads and intake etc. but it seems so dangerous to turn it.
Great question. I would not want to drop my engine on the floor either. Looks pretty sturdy overall.
Did the crank system come with the stand? Is it Chineseum or American made?
If the entire system came together and it is rated for 880, that would be a lot different than just the stand.
Isn’t an assembled SBC about 600 ish lbs depending on cast iron or aluminum heads?
I marked two spots on the picture I would be concerned about. One is the rear bolts where they go through that thin plate. Lot of weight load there. The other is the actual crank housing. Looks like it is put together with some smaller bolts.
Can you tie a rope or strap around the crank with the bolt in and support it straight overhead like to a door frame to take some load off as you spin it?
Last edited by DWAVette; Jan 28, 2026 at 07:33 AM.
Great question. I would not want to drop my engine on the floor either. Looks pretty sturdy overall.
Did the crank system come with the stand? Is it Chineseum or American made?
If the entire system came together and it is rated for 880, that would be a lot different than just the stand.
Isn’t an assembled SBC about 600 ish lbs depending on cast iron or aluminum heads?
I marked two spots on the picture I would be concerned about. One is the rear bolts where they go through that thin plate. Lot of weight load there. The other is the actual crank housing. Looks like it is put together with some smaller bolts.
Can you tie a rope or strap around the crank with the bolt in and support it straight overhead like to a door frame to take some load off as you spin it?
It is Chineseum.
Great advice! I will look into the strap/rope to crank-tip.
Thinking more, may be simpler to just cut a V into a 2x12 and wedge it under the crank bolt to the floor a little as you spin it. You could also leave it in place as you work on it for comfort. It would take some load off that fulcrum point.
Put large flat washers under the bolt heads to prevent cracks and failures. The crank rotator is a good idea…just keep your body a foot away while rotating the engine.
I don't use the tripod-looking stands, mine has 4 wide feet. And if you can lift the engine back up, you may be able to adjust the arms to reposition the engine on the stand such that the center of mass is aligned on the engine mount axis. Then it won't seem sketch at all to turn.
Be sure to grease the pivot point when the engine is back in the air.
Some engine stands have 3 roller feet and some have 4 roller feet with another smaller cross member with a roller foot on each end in the front. I can not fully see your stand so do not know. I think the 4 foot design is better and a little sturdier.
^^^THIS^^^
Four (Not three) very important.
also, Larger diameter wheels Will help stability when moving across floor.
* complete SBC long block w/ iron heads + iron block + iron damper + steel oil pan & valve covers But No intake or exhaust weighs well under 500 pounds.
Last edited by Rebelyell; Jan 28, 2026 at 06:20 PM.
Could Put a hoist on it to take some of the load.
I dont like leaving engines fully assembled on engine stands for long , take the weight off them using wood blocks or something or slide it out of the stand and set it down for long periods of inactivity imo
I’ve used these three wheel stands numerous times over the years without any issues. You need to be careful when rolling these around,no hard tugging or jerking and you’ll be fine.
first, the 4 small bolts holding the geared assembly down are not taking the full weight of the motor. the bearings inside the shaft around the mounting plate shaft are taking the weight.
i've got a geared stand, hung many a big block on it, and Pontiac engines too. never an issue. Hell when i was a kid my dad had an old tripod style stand and he used to turn big blocks over with a long bar.
It might be the angle of the pic, but it does not look like the engine is centered on the mount. If not, you want to center it as it wioll make rotating it more balanced.
I took the plunge and turned it very carefully. Turned out good.
I did it a couple of times to be certain.
I decided to use a jack and some blocks of wood to 'let it rest' on the front bearing cap (Not sure that's the right name). (Just a little bit to give me peace of mind when working on the engine loosening bolts, forcing parts, etc.)
When turning, the woodblock is removed. And when in place (for a longer time). I install the wood block again.
Thank you guys!
Last edited by Novusuhu; Jan 29, 2026 at 08:04 PM.
Engine stand: Dangers?
