I am new to the air cooled world so I need to lean on the experts for advice. As you can see, I have the engine on a stand with the 4 arm support. I was skeptical from the get go about this support, it does not seem to give enough support to the engine in my opinion. But what do I know?
My concern here is how much more weight can I put on this engine before pulling it off the stand? I do not have a cherry picker so just 2 guys lifting it off onto a HF hydraulic lift.
Should I get all the tin on then remove? Or would you install the alternator, intake, etc.?
And is there anything underneath that needs to be accomplished before taking off the stand?

Thanks in advance,
John

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I use the same stand for my 450 lb 3.2 six.

You can always put a stool or small table under it if you are afraid of it tipping while you work on it but a type 4 weighs 250 with induction and exhaust so it’s really not that much weight. Each bolt is holding 60 ish lbs.

The heat exchangers are so much easer to put on now.

I figured this much, but it’s nice to get some reassurance. I think I’ll try and rig up some kind of hoist or get a cherry picker to lift it off the stand when ready to mate with the trans.

I need to get another stand, been looking at some used ones... the only thing is, that one wheel in the front configuration, makes me more nervous than the ones with a short stabilizer axle in the front.


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A fully dressed engine is very stable on my HF engine stand with the 4 yoke mount. The slight tilt of the yoke tube cantilevers the weight. Two strong people can lift it off the stand (or 3 normal people). Best is to leave the yoke on and use that as a handle for at least one person. Then rest it on your hydralic table and remove the yoke.

If you have a 1 ton shop crane, you can rig it like I did in the pics, with lifting straps around the mount bar and a heavy chain around the yoke. The tough part is getting the stand to fit between the legs. You'll probably need to raise the engine and stand together and then have someone pull the stand off the yoke while someone guides the engine off.

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I no longer use those stands for /6 builds, I almost toppled off a $50k 930 longblock, in fact it's one reason I have a fuched up back. The ones I use for /6 builds (I have 6 stands and 2 bench stands) are overkill at 1200lbs, but I like how the legs fold for storage.

I still use that type of stand for /4 builds, I'm not worried about capacity, but I do take care when moving and torquing an engine on it.

Cheap insurance to use the proper equipment for the job, is it worth it to use cheap tools, you will get a cheap job

Do most people assemble the exhaust and heater ducts on the engine while it is on the stand? I was worried that would be too much weight cantilevered off the exhaust studs but if that isn't a problem, it sure would be easier to do than from under the car.

Yes, put all the tin back on. Installing the alternator and the rest of the fuel injection is much easier in this position. Adjusting the valves is wise also.
I would still be careful with any engine stand that has three legs.
Matt

The lift would sure make things easier, I need to find one to borrow. I had one a long time ago but got tired of storing and sold it. Besides, at 60 I’m not as strong as I once was.

I have the same concerns, especially with the heat exchangers. That’s a lot of leverage at the ends of those, so will be extra careful. I agree with it being much easier than trying to do it on my back.