Engine/gearbox support

whitecrook · 1 Dec 2009 at 23:19

Hi

Anyone used these engine supports before ?

Any good ?- seems like could be a good idea to support the engine in that way rather than my previous plan of a trolley jack or 2 to change the box on my Vectra.

The other option was a engine crane but this seems a bit over kill in both price and convenience etc.... Plus it's on a 'street' so there is quite a bit of camber on the road.

BigglesPiP · 1 Dec 2009 at 23:23

Edit: Actually, they aren't that sort of thing.

For the job you're doing I've always just used either a hoist for work on axle stands, or for work on a lift, a gearbox and engine stand. Dad has actually made a fitting for the engine stand which fits on the sump of a twin spark engine where the bracket around the exhaust goes.

whitecrook · 1 Dec 2009 at 23:25

BigglesPiP said:
They do work to an extant, in that they hold the engine pretty upright, which the blue nylon rope I last used doesn't really manage.

Ugh- blue nylon rope... These come with chains thankfully. Do they just sit on the 'inner lip' of the bonnet? Does that really provide enough support to hold the weight of an engine?

paradigm · 1 Dec 2009 at 23:34

BigglesPiP said:
Dad has actually made a fitting for the engine stand which fits on the sump of a twin spark engine where the bracket around the exhaust goes.

You know you have to change the engine too often when...

whitecrook · 1 Dec 2009 at 23:40

Yes, but I'm in open space, in the street. Unfortunately, i'm not parked under a tree other wise a long rope and a nice branch would have done the trick. Nor do I have an abundance of abandoned vehicles nearby on which to lay a steel bar through the window and onto a step ladder a la that guy making the hot rod bug posted here last week (true ghetto style

)

Seriously though a garage with some nice rafters would be ideal, but I saw these and didn't even know they existed until 30 mins ago and they seem to be designed exactly for my predicament.

BigglesPiP · 2 Dec 2009 at 00:01

paradigm said:
You know you have to change the engine too often when...

I wouldn't change an engine with it. Might as well just stand underneath and unbolt all the engine mounts. Squish.

We both currently have one car each with a twinny, and the brakcet and the stand are at the garage where he works, occasionally removing gearboxes from other Alfa twin spark motors.

whitecrook said:
Ugh- blue nylon rope... These come with chains thankfully. Do they just sit on the 'inner lip' of the bonnet? Does that really provide enough support to hold the weight of an engine?

It's got 2 chances. But I'll tell you one thing, I've never seen a professional mechanic use one. Go with an extra axle stand and some scrap wood.

whitecrook · 2 Dec 2009 at 00:18

BigglesPiP said:
I wouldn't change an engine with it. Might as well just stand underneath and unbolt all the engine mounts. Squish.

We both currently have one car each with a twinny, and the brakcet and the stand are at the garage where he works, occasionally removing gearboxes from other Alfa twin spark motors.

It's got 2 chances. But I'll tell you one thing, I've never seen a professional mechanic use one. Go with an extra axle stand and some scrap wood.

reckon i'll just go with trolley jack and a bit of 2x4. I need to be able to lower the engine to get the box out of the subframe...

BigglesPiP · 2 Dec 2009 at 00:19

Equally good, just don't put your head under the engine itself.