engine stands

an engine cradle is a simple project if you can weld..... i made one, put an engine on it and set it on a cheap HF furniture dollie... worked great

 

why buy them when they are so easy to make.i made on for my engine for about $10.00i also made it on an angle so i could put the motor in for from under the car.i also off set the legs to make it more stable.it worked great.

 

I have a massive engine stand made of 3" and 4" pipe. This stand was given to me, and had a piece of 3/16" plate cut and drilled to a Chevy bellhousing pattern welded piece of 3" pipe. I liked the concept of not having to fool with the adjustable arms, but I wanted the head to fit tight with no slop; the 3" pipe had about a 1/4" gap in the 4" pipe it rotated in. So I got a big chunk of steel and after 4 hours on the lathe, I had this:


The groove is for the bolt that keeps it from turning. I also had the machine shop bore out the center to lighten it up. I had to pay to have this done as neither of my lathes are big enough to chuck up a foot long piece of 4" round.
I drilled four 7/16" holes in a piece of 1/4" plate and welded it on, then primed and painted. Rust sucks!

I cut the 3" pipe off the Chevy pattern plate and drilled and tapped it for 3/8". In the first picture you can see the old 3" pipe I had bolted on before.


It fits really nice with about 10 thousandths clearance, just enough fo a good coating of grease. I don't know if I will like it hanging down this low, this was how it was built; may need some mods later, gotta put an engine on there and see how easy it turns.

I also made a plate to bolt on that holds Ford flathead engines. I still need to make one to kit my Y-Block. The real test of this stand's strenght will be mounting the Hemi!

 

I had a nice 4-wheel stand for years, worked great for what I was doing (f/heads and sbcs). Decided to put a 454 in my 59 Apache, but was a bit nervous about the weight factor. My sons' best friend's dad and our neighbor (Ed Norton, the renowned drag racer) welded a few gussets on the uprights, and tweaked a few other areas for me. Had that for several more years and it never even creaked. Ditto on the wheel bearing grease in the pivot area, so much smoother it's almost like roller bearings.

I would not use an HF stand or anything else HF. Partly experience, partly jingoism.

dj

 

I have a 2000# HF engine stand that isn't too bad...$120

I just got a 1500# Torin engine stand on sale from Northern Tool...$100

<O</OI like the Torin better...<O</O
<O</O

If I had a welder I'd make my own engine cradle. I buy these cheap $25 cradles from a tool guy at the swap meets but they are pretty shaky when they roll. They roll like they have square wheels...<O</O
<O</O

That pic is not an optical illusion. That thing is leaning like it looks...

<O</O<O</O<O</O

 

got two in my home shop. A cheap Harbor Freight three legger with a small block chevy on it at present. Built a lot of engines on that stand and no problems. bought it as a floor model for $30 several years ago.

other one is a home-built job I got with a used engine purchase. it is built to an extreme with an added 't bar' on front of the classic three leg design for stability. it's a monster, sits taller than my other one and weighs a ton. but rolls nice and can hold anything. got a 460 ford on it now.

 

235 Engine Cradle, made of of Metal Bed Frames, cheap wheels. Good enough to roll under a Bench out of way.

 

X2. I have an old 3 wheeler that I bought years ago from Long Beach Racing. I had a 283 on it and it tipped over on me when I tried to move it. A 4 wheeler is more stable.