Hi

This is a photo looking at the top of the engine looking back towards the rear tin. On the picture, towards the lower right, you can see a round hole that goes through the silver engine casing under the yellow rod. Can I attach here to lift the engine?

Click to view attachment

How high are you lifting the engine? and why?

Yes you can with the longblock, I do it all the time to put it on my engine stand and made a custom hook to do it. I can take a pic if you want.
But I wouldn't try it with a fully dressed engine.
For a fully dressed engine I lift with a chain bolted each end across the mount bar, in an upside down Y.

BTW a little FYI...never hammer that bit when trying to split the case, it will snap off.

Thanks. A pic would be great. I am lifting the engine to put on the heat exchangers and finish everything up and put on a lift table so I can then have it mobile.

Oh boy, that's a FACT. I pulled the van engine from my '71 and began to split the case. I gave that tab a very careful tap, and off it came! My consolation was that the previous owner had "welded" it back together and I probably could have pulled it off with my fingers.

Like I said longblock only, below is a pic of what is known as a longblock.

Lifting the longblock is a fairly light load but add the weight of the shroud, mout bar etc and the load is much heavier across the nose. Plus if you add one heat exchanger the weight will shift off center and put a side load on the boss which is not very strong to start with.

What you are thinking of doing is very dangerous, working under any unsecured load is very dangerous. No different from working on a car with no jack stands, just a jack.
Besides the load is very unstable, it will move around all over the place, making it very difficult to manipulate and fasten the part and did I mention downright dangerous. This is pretty basic stuff taught in HS auto shop class and in any commercial shop you'd be reprimanded or likely fired on the spot.

I'd highly recommend googling work place safety and watching workplace safety videos or better yet take a couple of college continuous learning introductory auto shop courses.

You'd be better to install the engine and trans secure in the car, then install the exhaust.

What you are suggesting is only going to make life more complicated.

Several of us have built carts to hold the assembled engine/exhaust/etc. But they are all low to the ground and are easy to set up with a floor jack and a little muscle on the transmission side.

Don't try to lift a dressed motor on to a table and PLEASE don't try to mount the engine to a engine stand with the transmission attached.

But that would be a neat trick!

Seriously work safe, many people have been injured and killed working with unstable loads.

Safety is everything. Best to use an engine stand rated for the load, which for our engines is pretty much any stand since the type IV is less than 500lbs soaking wet.

I have a 2 ton shop crane that I use to lift the engine onto and off of the stand (when I don't have 3 friends nearby to help). I've been using heavy duty webbed straps to support the engine case, but I like Mark's idea of using chains through eye hooks on the engine bar. Mark...what do you secure the back side to? I assume you do the upside-down Y thing on the engine bar and then use another chain tied to the yoke to keep thinks relatively balanced and not twist the rubber engine mounts?

Thanks for all your comments and input and your cautions on safety. So let me add more information and get your advice on what I need to do.

I have a new engine that is almost fully complete and "dressed" and that has the transmission attached to the longblock.

The heat exchangers are not attached. Nor is the exhaust.

I have a 4 post car lift, normal floor jack and a hydraulic lift table.


What process would you use to get everything installed in the car? A number of posts in here talk about using hydraulic table carts - but perhaps I misunderstood.

Your input is appreciated.

Install the entire exhaust after the engine is in the car.

4 men is the easiest way to pick the engine/trans up onto your lift table. Quick and safe.
Otherwise, a strap (or chain) wrapped around the engine bar on both sides like an inverted V for the front end, and a strap under the trans, attached to an engine hoist will get you high enough safely to set on your hydraulic table.

Where is the engine now? On a cart?

Assuming it is...and that the 4 post lift gives you totally clear access to slide the engine into position, (big assumptions), here's what I'd do...

Set the 4 post lift so that it's a bit lower than the max height of the hydraulic table. Then slide the table with the engine on it under the car and raise the table so that you can get the bolts through the engine bar and transmission mounts. Once the engine/trans is secure, raise the 4 post to a workable height and install the heat exchangers. Make sure you have new copper gaskets (many like to anneal them first) and check that the pipes don't get hung up on the lip in the head. Leave the nuts a little loose and install the muffler bracket, also leaving the bolts a bit loose to make sure all the holes are aligned. Then tighten the nuts securing the H/E to the head (don't over-torque) and install the exhaust. There may be other / easier ways. I'm sure the brain trust will chime in!

On the flywheel side I usually have my 5 arm engine stand adaptor mount attached so I just run the chain through the top arm. With my hook I could use the top most case bolt.

I have an overhead crane, so I can use fairly long chains. This helps to not twist the rubber mounts on the engine bar. If I didn't have the option of using long chains (ie low engine hoist) I would make an adjustable balance bar, something like the pic below.

Lift the car on the 4-post, put the engine on a rolling table and roll it under the car, lower the car onto the engine and gearbox.

Thanks All. The Engine/Trans is currently on a dolly.

Finally, just curious, but what is that round hole I first asked about actually there for?

One caveat of using a steel top lift table, 4 post or one side of a 2 post's arms is the metal on metal contact is very slippy.
I once almost lost a custom $50k 930 engine off of my lift table.
I strongly recommend making a secured plywood top so the engine will not accidentally slide off. The engine will bite into the ply and avoid this recipe for disaster.