Hey guys!

I am almost done disconnecting everything on the dang engine. I have a hoist and an engine rack.

Where/how do I grab the engine? The hoist came with a load leveler that had four "L" shaped pieces of metal. Where do I hook those up? Do I need to just use chains? How the heck do I do that?

I know. This sounds like a train wreck is about to happen. I will take my time and do it right. With your guidance hopefully...

Anyone living near The Colony, TX with experience? I will gladly supply beer (after the engine is safely out...)

Thanks for your help!

Have a great day!

 

There are usually brackets attached to the engine that the factory used to install the engine. They are sometimes bolted to the intake or somewhere near there and have a hole in it for the hooks. Not all have them though so you would need to find a good strong point to hook the chains to. You can wrap the chain around something and hook it to itself or bolt the chain together or bolt it to the engine somewhere.

A few areas I've lifted engines from: chain bolted to the intake manifold with a longer bolt, chain wrapped around exhaust manifold or bolted to exhaust manifold with longer bolt, chain wrapped around intake runners (as long as intake braces are in place), and chain attached to accessory brackets or mounting points with long bolt. Just to name a few. You have to make sure the item you are hooking to will not be damaged by the weight of the engine and if bolted to the engine the threads of the bolt must be deep enough to not tear out.

 

This suggestion is not for a one timer. Its for those knuckle busters who R&R engines frequently. Only way to go for the pre SEFI engines. Take two pieces of 3" angle iron about 6" long. Weld them together to make a Tee shaped bracket. Place the Tee upside down and drill four holes to match the removed carburator mounting bolt pattern. Secure to engine there. Rest is to either bolt chain to the vertical leg of the Tee or as I did cut holes for the engine hoist hook. Hint, secure chain closer to front of engine for better balance. This one point hook up allows movement of the engine (tilting and tipping) for easier engine stabbing. Mine has been modified to fit two barrells, four barrells, Ford, Chevy's and even a Dodge.

 

The only way i trust, is to put one 3/8 bolt w/ fender washer in the right rear cylinder head and one in the left front cylinder head. use a chain w/ a hook in the center and hook that to the hook a the cherry picker that way you can move it anywhere you need to. I don't like lifting engines out with bolts in aluminum, i'd rather have them in steel, even though i know people do it that way

 

I am officially worried.

Thanks all for the feedback.

I wil post from the hospital sometime in the next two weeks.

 

Worried? This is what good friends are for - get a couple of 'em liquored up, and say "I'll be you guys can't pull the engine out of my truck"

They'll have it done in no time, and if something goes wrong, you won't be in the hospital.

 

Just stay out from underneath it and get the load off the hoist as soon as possible. It's scary at first, but after a while you come to the realization that those bolts can hold a lot of weight. Just put one in the front corner, one in the back down through the intake and into the head. It will be semi-balanced at that point.

Lift it out slowly and watch for binding and for things you forgot to unhook or that got caught up on the way up. I had a fuel line caught up once and just kept pumping away on the hoist. When it snapped the engine popped up like it was shot out of a cannon. Scared the bejeezus out of me, but it didn't hurt anything (except for the fuel line, which was a $100 mistake).

After doing it a couple of times you won't give it a second thought. GM was kind enough to cast a loop into the back left corner of the 3.8L blocks just for lifting the engine out. They also put a loop on the front right corner of the intake. Put a hook on each and it's balanced perfectly. I can do it blindfolded now. [insert GM reliability jokes here]

Good luck and post pics.

Jim