well I thought I would share a mishap with my 914, embaressing as it maybe..

I was installing the engine on a hoist, dropped down the car to align the mounting holes and rear bracket, engine was placed on stands, leveled out and ready to fit in.

I noticed that the engine was not fitting correctley, while I was bumping down the lift, I looked up and saw the front of the car coming off the front lift supports, causing the car to have a very bad tilt, I thought, what the hell is that, walked around to the front of the car and found that the hydrolic jack handle had slip up between the tire and the fender and was starting to push through the top of my fender, which was making the car come off the lift, I said Fu***KI**G D**am sh**i**t AHHHH

I checked back quickly to the rear and saw clear and ready to go, so I started to raise the car to get the jack handle out of there, while the car was lifting and my full attention to the front was in place, I was about 4'-0" in the air and looked back and saw that the engine got tangled up with my tie strap and was coming off the stands, now it was dangeling 3'-0" in the air, the front was not clear yet and now I am about to drop my motor..

before I could reload, it droped and bounced, cracked the rear housing, (replaced it) and I have a punch out dent on top of my fender. I took a break, finshed and went to get drunk in which I had nooo problems doing that..

Oh well, hope this not to boring..

Bummer.. Sorry that happened.. Time for another

Wow - glad you found some humor in it. Mostly - it's a good thing you weren't in a position where you "might have" been able to catch the engine from falling. Hey, sometimes instincts take over common sense, thats why they invented "Emergency Rooms" Results could have been much worse when flesh gets tangled with metal !

Glad you could take it in good humor ! You're a better man than I !

Oh - and it looks like you joined yesterday, so:
(in case you didn't get that on another of your posts).

now if you could impleament domino's into that act you could take that show on the road!

hot chicks in thanks to the domino's. too funny

Sounds like a truly precarious maneuver.
I think I'd try a different technique next time.

Glad to hear the only thing that broke wasn't you.

With the remanufactured heads failing three times in a row, I was not at my full potential..

But, with focus in order I can install the motor(only) in 20 min. simple idea really, lining up everything is the hardest, soooo
the two front bolt hole on frame I connect tie strap from there to engine mount, each hole up front has its own strap, then at the rear I sling one strap all the way across, holding up the rear of the trans, there are two holes in body frame that I use to latch two.
I lower car and tighten straps. raise enough for engine to swing and hang straight down by straps, suspended...

put two stand up front, one in rear under trans, readjust and tighten straps, raise car and engine, use adjustable supprt stand, then, one at a time, put in the bolts up front and then do rear mounts, really easy and safe and fast to do, by dangling engine it self aligns.

anyway thank you and all is well now...

pS, this is using a two post hydrolic lift..

Heck i was moving a fully asembled engine(bran new) with trans,and complete exhaust sustem, from one side of a friends shop.About 40 ft ,on a transmission jack,(WRONG) we got 1/2 way there and it starts to fall of the jack. One guy on each heat exchangerand another on the back of the trans. We managed to get it back up on the jack and the rest of the way. Last time i use something for a use it's not entended for . Scared the shit out of me!!!!! Dave

sounds complicated and dangerous. Two jack stands under donuts, one jack under motor, and lift.

sorry for the slow reply, no that is not correct..

The electric lift was for car only, the two post kind, with the swing arms out under the car, the motor is sitting on stands to get off the ground, I lowered car by the electric lift, down to the motor & trans position, that is when the typical roll around pump up jack handle came up under the front finder and caused my mental laps, not danderous at all, very cool when done right,,, 30 min install when done right... alas... on that one time, I was frustrated and tired...

I was taking the 327 off the engine stand in preparation for installation into the 914, I forgot to extend the legs on my cherry picker, the picker started slowly tilting over and I could do nothing but watch it bounce off the floor, TG the mount bar was on it and the motor mounts took the brunt of the bounce. Hard lesson learned! Been there done that. I moved my 64.5 Mustang vert last night via car dolly and almost lost it. Still shaken about that one!

I am sure we all have had mishaps, glad you we not hurt & those wheels keep on turn-in...

When I got my 914 (many, many years ago) drove her home
put her in the garage and started to clean everything.

Decided I would detail the wheel wells. So tried to
loosen the lugs before putting it on jack stands. The
nut would not budge, 3/4" breaker bar w/pipe !!
So I started bouncing on the pipe, the nut let go and I smacked
my face on the fender.

Woke up sitting on the floor cross-legged some time later with
a huge shiner.

Drove the 914 the next day and made it about two blocks before
it started driving bad and clunking. I didn't remember that I had
loosened all of the lug nuts !

bob

we have a hat that we take to the track that says "titanic crew member" - the 'privlege' of wearing that hat is reserved for the person who makes the best dumb move of the weekend.

found this one, is this what you guys wear?, cool rule to point out the dummy for the day.. sounds like fun stuff...


Click to view attachment

Here's my dad sporting it at Coronado this year. (The long attachment for compression gauge doesn't work with small block chevy heads.)
Fun stuff !! Click to view attachment