[77 TRASHCAN]

Does this mean the 421 is getting installed?.................finally?

[b-man]

Pretty much.

Haven’t done much on the Le Mans since I yanked out the 389/ST-300 because I always seem to get sidetracked with my air-cooled projects.

[77 TRASHCAN]

Glad to hear! Hoping you’d get somewhere with it soon, before they tote you (and me...) to the old folks home!!

[Skip Fix]

Originally Posted by Schurkey

Thanks for mentioning that.

MOST "engine hoists" sold in the last twenty years are pure trash. There were plenty of crappy ones forty years ago. Plenty of folks I talk to about engine hoists have never seen a properly-engineered engine hoist.

What is SOLD as a "2-ton" hoist is really a budget-built one-ton or even 3/4 ton hoist with a too-short lifting arm because a proper lifting arm would overwhelm the crappy, undersized hydraulic ram. They can call it a two-ton hoist only because the lifting arm (boom) is so tiny.

Which then means the entire hoist framework is small, thin and flimsy; but that makes 'em easier to ship from Asia.

I have two engine hoists. One came from Sam's Club decades ago; the other I bought when I moved--I needed a hoist at the old house; and another at the new place. The second hoist is another of the nameless, generic junk engine hoists that will barely lift an engine; and won't lift it very high because of the short, cheap boom. If you're pulling the trans with the engine, you're gonna need to lift the thing to the moon to get the trans over the radiator.

Here's what a real hoist can do: Cadillac 500, Turbo 425, suspension, steering, brakes, tires and front half of the frame from a '73 ElDorado. Consistent with safe practice, this is not anywhere near as high as it would lift, just enough to get it loaded onto the trailer.
(No, the crappy hoist at the other end of the road was not used to remove this from the trailer!)

I have one of those! Think I bought it at Sam's 30years ago! Heavy sucker! Had to replace the hydraulic ram this year.

[66sprint6]

The reason I did the engine and tranny together was that I had to. I did the work in my driveway and there's no way that I was going to get the transmission in from underneath after. I put the front wheels up on the drive up ramps for clearance.

[Tom Vaught]

I have a Cherry Picker that I have owned for about 15 years.
It has the longer boom and heavier duty Hydraulic Ram.
I have pulled out only Pontiac Engines with it and believe the number of
times with it, (removal and reinstall =1) is about 10 or 11.

I did modify the legs in the front for a wider opening as my engine stand has
a equal width front cross bar, (same as the rear cross bar side to side width).

The Ram has worked perfectly for me during that entire time. It was not a Chinese
built unit.

If I move to a bigger piece of properly & garage I will have a roll around Chain Fall
Engine puller and sell the Cherry Picker. Main reason is to lift Heavy "Bottom" Tool
Boxes into my truck without emptying them out.

I could also load my engines onto the "Easy Run" clone "Run Stand" I am building right now.

Tom V.

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

I have one of those! Think I bought it at Sam's 30years ago! Heavy sucker! Had to replace the hydraulic ram this year.

ExCel Manufacturing, I think the model number is W1000. Superb unit.

I had an air leak into the original ram; couldn't find an O-ring that would seal it. (Metric???) It would pump up and "lift" but the ram got squishy, and it took a thousand pumps to lift anything. I could make it leak less air into the hydraulic system, but I never got it genuinely sealed.

Forced by lack of choice to buy a Chinese 8-ton (air-over-hydraulic) ram; it now pumps up with the push of a lever on a blow-gun body. As best I can tell, the original ram was also 8-ton, but without the compressed-air-powered pump--just a hand pump.

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

I have a Cherry Picker that I have owned for about 15 years.
It has the longer boom and heavier duty Hydraulic Ram.
I have pulled out only Pontiac Engines with it and believe the number of
times with it, (removal and reinstall =1) is about 10 or 11.

I did modify the legs in the front for a wider opening as my engine stand has
a equal width front cross bar, (same as the rear cross bar side to side width).

I would like different leg spacing on mine, but it's "OK" as-is.

The properly-long boom makes ALL the difference!

Originally Posted by Tom Vaught

If I move to a bigger piece of properly & garage I will have a roll around Chain Fall
Engine puller and sell the Cherry Picker. Main reason is to lift Heavy "Bottom" Tool
Boxes into my truck without emptying them out.

I could also load my engines onto the "Easy Run" clone "Run Stand" I am building right now.

I fabricated a steel "cradle" to fit between the wheels of my rollaway tool boxes, with chain and spacer bars so I could lift them with my engine hoist. I've told you about my two engine hoists--one worked GREAT loading 'em onto the trailer, and the other is a piece of flimsy crap trying to get them off the trailer. Yet, it worked and the boxes didn't hit the ground.

About two months ago, I bought a (too-small) gantry and 3/4-ton manual chain hoist off of Craigslist. Went to eBay and got a 3/4-ton trolley to hang the chain hoist from, so it can roll side-to-side on the I-beam. Previous owner just wrapped a chain on the I-beam and hung the chain host from that--at least, that's what he claimed. I'm in this about $400 now.

The downside to this rig is that it's at least three feet too short. It is (just barely) wide enough to drive a pickup truck (with mirrors in place) between the uprights, but it's useless for pulling an engine--the chain hoist hangs so low, it'd never get high enough to get the oil pan over the radiator. I don't know how the previous owner got enough height, 'cause the difference between using a chain wrapped around the I-beam, and using a real trolley, would be about six inches. I think this is the real reason it was for sale.

Plans are to cut the 2" OD square tube uprights, buy 8 or 10 feet of 2" ID tubing, slip the 2" OD tubing over the 2" ID tubing, overlap for strength, weld or bolt to suit, and add a bunch of altitude.

Probably won't happen this fall. Maybe.

[Rhagolin]

Doing it yourself pull the trans PERIOD, when attempting engine and trans takes a couple of people other wise huge pain in the ass. Pull trans-Hood and radiator and will come right out all by yourself with out risking damaging anything.