BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

[Keith B.]

Best advice please as I have not done this before. I have the heads and intake off my L-36. I have borrowed a 8 ton engine lift. Obviously my 680 LB engine is lighter with heads and intake off...

What is the best, proper, safest procedure for attaching a chain to lift my engine out. What bolts, washers to use and where does one place the bolts not to damage anything....

Thank-YOu !!

[Peter J.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

I think it would be easier if you put the heads back on and used the intake manifold mounting and or exhaust manifold bolt holes to attach your chains to. I am curious about how you would get it out without the heads on, so I will watch for responses.
Pete

[Joel T.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Best advice please as I have not done this before. I have the heads and intake off my L-36. I have borrowed a 8 ton engine lift. Obviously my 680 LB engine is lighter with heads and intake off...

What is the best, proper, safest procedure for attaching a chain to lift my engine out. What bolts, washers to use and where does one place the bolts not to damage anything....

Thank-YOu !!

Keith;

I did this a while ago. With the heads and manifold off, I used head bolts with washers front and back of the block, top row, diagonally, with a chain affixed, and lifted via the chain. Screw the head bolts in but not so far down as to cause the chain to contact the block surface. I assume that you have the transmission, etc. removed.

On your lift, check the reach. On an 8 ton unit you are probably fine... With some of the less expensive fold up units you may have a problem with reach from the front of the car... the last thing I like to do is remove an engine from the side!

To be safe, lift the block straight up slowly and roll the car back to get clearance if you can do it this way. This makes me more comfortable than having a 700# hunk of iron swinging in the air as I try to move it away from the car.

Have fun and be careful!

Joel

[Bill M.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

I agree with joel bot screw eye bolts into the block and attach chain hooks to eye bolt. This will put less stress on the threads and threaded section of bolt.

bill

[John M.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

the last thing I like to do is remove an engine from the side!

Joel

I was just curious why you feel this way? I found it was about the only way to pull one from the long nosed C3.

[Bill M.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

I don't know about joel but i never even considered pulling a motor from the side. i seems not natural. maybe i need a little variety

[Kenneth B.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

I think the safest & easiest way it to leave the heads & intake on. I made a plate with a eye attached to the center. I bolt it the carb. studs. I have good balance & can still tip the engine front to back to get it out.
KEN

[Ridge K.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

I agree with other comments, about simply screwing the correct bolts into the block, and attaching a chain diagonally. Have done it many times successfully, in years past.
I must admit, when we lifted mine with heads attached, up over that virgin fiberglass nose, I broke out in a sweat. The sweat continued until we had gotten the engine up, over, and back down on the floor.
Good luck. Ridge

[Gary P.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Did it with everything on, heads, intake, transmission tilted the motor back and lifted it over the side fender. piece of cake.

[Joel T.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

I don't know about joel but i never even considered pulling a motor from the side. i seems not natural. maybe i need a little variety

Bill;

I agree with you. When I first pulled the motor out of my 1963 my buddy provided a fold up hoist... not enough reach to pull from the front so we pulled from the side... scared the begeebers out of me... tolerances were THAT close.. I went out and bought one of those heavy duty hoists... cheap insurance in my mind. Now,I pull motors from the front, leave them hanging the air and roll the car back out of the way... just seems safer to me...

Joel

[William V.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Keith

I suggest temporally bolt the heads back on (lightly tightening the head bolts) and attach the chain diagonally from the furthest front and furthest rear intake manifold bolt holes. Then lift the engine from the front and roll the car out from under the raised engine. When pulling an engine, I like to unbolt the engine from the bellhousing.



Thanks

[Joe L.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Best advice please as I have not done this before. I have the heads and intake off my L-36. I have borrowed a 8 ton engine lift. Obviously my 680 LB engine is lighter with heads and intake off...

What is the best, proper, safest procedure for attaching a chain to lift my engine out. What bolts, washers to use and where does one place the bolts not to damage anything....

Thank-YOu !!

Keith-----


Believe me, the 8 ton lift will be enough to pull the engine with or without heads on it.

As far as how/where to "hook up" the engine to the hoist chain, the methods described by others with the simple use of 7/16" steel eye bolts in a front and rear, opposite side head bolt holes will work just fine. This has probably been done hundreds of thousands of times over the years with no problems. So, is this how I would do it? Yes, with a slight modification not generally used by others.

1) Use a STEEL 7/16-14 eye-bolt with a shank length of no more than 1-1/2";

2) Install a grade 5 or 8 nut on the eye-bolt threads and run it all the way down;

3) Install a thick 7/16" flat washer (or 2 thinner washers) on the eye-bolt;

4) Install the eye-bolts in the head bolt holes and turn them down as far as they will go by hand or until the washers contact the block surface;

5) Torque the nuts to 70 lb/ft;

6) Lift away.

[Thomas H.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Keith-----


Believe me, the 8 ton lift will be enough to pull the engine with or without heads on it.

As far as how/where to "hook up" the engine to the hoist chain, the methods described by others with the simple use of 7/16" steel eye bolts in a front and rear, opposite side head bolt holes will work just fine. This has probably been done hundreds of thousands of times over the years with no problems. So, is this how I would do it? Yes, with a slight modification not generally used by others.

1) Use a STEEL 7/16-14 eye-bolt with a shank length of no more than 1-1/2";

2) Install a grade 5 or 8 nut on the eye-bolt threads and run it all the way down;

3) Install a thick 7/16" flat washer (or 2 thinner washers) on the eye-bolt;

4) Install the eye-bolts in the head bolt holes and turn them down as far as they will go by hand or until the washers contact the block surface;

5) Torque the nuts to 70 lb/ft;

6) Lift away.

Joe,

Great idea! I have used the chain / head bolt combo for years, but I think your twist on that method makes things cleaner.

Tom

[Joe L.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Joe,

Great idea! I have used the chain / head bolt combo for years, but I think your twist on that method makes things cleaner.

Tom

Tom------


...and less chance for damaging things.

[Joe L.]

Re: BB- Engine removal - no intake or heads

Keith



Thanks

William------


I've looked and looked and I've never found one. For a C3 you would need a hoist with a boom about 6 feet long or longer to provide enough reach. That also means the legs of the hoist would have to be at least 6 feet long in order to keep the hoist from tipping.

I tried modifying a 2 ton hoist with a longer boom (the length of HD box tubing for the boom cost me almost as much as the complete hoist). It had enough reach to work and, even with that much boom extension, the ram would still lift the engine (barely), but the legs were not long enough to prevent the hoist from tipping down. To make it usable, I'll need to add "extenders" to the legs and that will require some welding and fabrication.

There may well be hoists out there that can do the job without modification. However, I'd expect they'll be BIG $$$$ sort of things that will cost more than any hobbyist could justify for using it only several times during their life.

You can use the "regular" hoists from the side without having to lift the engine over the fenders, though. Just remove the wheel on the same side as the hoist and support the car with a jack stand. Then, you can move the hoist side-ways on the casters and move the engine forward. You will have to re-position the jack stand at least once during the process, though. It's no big deal, however.