This may have already been covered, but I haven't had any luck figuring my problem out. I've got my engine pulled, tranny separated and the engine is on my ATV jack. I just bought an engine stand and now I can't figure out how to mount the engine to it The ATV jack won't raise high enough to get all 4 mounting points to line up. And, the base of the stand won't allow the stand to get close enough to the engine, due to the base of the jack.

Anyone have any tricks they could share?

You could take the yoke off the stand and over to the engine and bolt it to the engine and with a strong friend, put it in the stand.

or

You could buy the engine adapter offered by MainelyCustomByDesign (no affiliation) that will allow the use of your engine stand and mount a VW or Porsche engine. One good thing about using the adapter is that it will allow mounting the flywheel while the engine is mounted.

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and a few friends with muscles! Ebay has several vw porsche stand adaptors.

First off you need a porsche/VW head for the engine stand.
That head you have with the four arms will not fit and will rub against the flywheel....
It will also not mount flush unless you notch the ends of the tubes around the case.


For an answer to your question, remove the head from the stand and mount it to the motor.
Either get a helper, or some rope from above to balance things and tip the engine stand over until you can slide the large tube into the engine stand.
Then slowly tip it upright.

Stripped, the motor can be lifted from the floor.
So, when you mount it on the engine stand like I said, you can do this yourself, it just take planning, chock the wheels on the engine stand when you tip it so it does not slide out while you are lifting it.
It's not a lot of drama is you take your time.

The correct head for the engine can be purchase at any VW shop.
The more rugged ones are available at "mainly by design"

Rich

Seeing as you have a three wheel engine stand, you could raise and block the motor, then raise and block the jack, leaving a hole in the middle for the engine stand leg.

Keep doing that until it's at the right height to allow you to slide the engine stand under the jack, right up the the motor.

Remove the heat exchangers
Turn the motor sideways on that lift to avoid the handle.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Anyone in the KC, Mo area with a VW yoke I can borrow?

Not the best unit, but you don't sound like you want to spring for the best. Here's something for $50 that'll get it done.

Summit adapter

Last week I asked if anyone here had used that adapter. There was one member who responded that it seemed to work fine. What are the limitations of that unit vs. more expensive adapter?

Mount the yoke to the engine first.
Leave the engine mount bar attached to the engine (assuming your engine mounts arent broken when you drop the engine).
Use it as a handle for the front
Then two people can lift the engine and slide the yoke into the stand.

The engine with everything still attached is only ~250 lbs.

The cheap one for the once in 10 year rebuilder.

I put a sling around the engine. Install engine holder. Throw a chain around tree limb, attach wench, and jack it up to the right height. Slide engine holder into stand. Remove all the hardware and roll it in to garage. True backyard mechanic style!

I used to pick up the engine after bolting the yolk to the stand and push the yolk into the stand. in my younger days.... Now I work smarter I get two cute neighbor girls to come over with some male friends all they have to say is "Oh doesn't that look heavy?" Works every time. But seriously I have also used the method that t_rowle described.

This thread is great. I've always just muscled the engine and yoke into a bench mounted stand. Brute force and ignorance. Still have all the ignorance but not the force. Probably never build another engine but if I do the tricks here are good. Thanks.

Hate to say it, but now that I have a lift I have a permanent strap wrapped around it and I lift up all sorts of stuff with it, including a wood stove to get it out of my truck and onto a dolly.

She might not be to happy when you do that, but on the other hand she might be game. You did say attach a wench!

To lift the engine, you may want to use a winch.

Sometimes I my fingers don"t match what I am thinking when typing.

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I use a chain hoist and an attachement to handle the load.

That's what I do!

Hand crank winch and a pulley hanging off a rafter in my garage.
I'd not lift anything super heavy with it, but a T4? No problem.

Beats the hell out of ruining your back.

Zach

I got the cheap chain hoist at HF and use one of the exposed trusses in the roof of my garage. Also a cloth strap on either side of the engine, tied together into the hoist hook in the middle. Lifts it like it's nothing, and allows some freedom of adjustment to get it in my stand.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-ton-chain-hoist-996.html

Wait for the 20% coupon in the mail and it's 40 bucks. Cheaper than a shop crane, and takes up way less space.