starting a build of a raby 2056, got a standard engine stand, how do I attache the engine to it? Do I need to buy an adaptor? I borrowed the engine stand and probably will not do another one for a long time.

I just bolted it up to the transmission studs. I don't know what kind of stand you have, but mine has 4 adjustable arms. They were kind of a pain in the ass, but it's cheaper than buying an adaptor. If I were to do it again I would pull the part that attaches to the engine off the stand, attach it to the engine on the ground and then lift the whole assembly(a bitch) up and slide it into the stand. When I did it I balanced the engine on a floor jack and then bolted it up to the arms. I almost dropped it a couple of times and the jack wasn't tall enough so I ended up holding it with my dad in our hands for way to long. Do it on the ground and save yourself and motor from failure.

You need an adaptor for the Type IV or VW motor. It bolts to a case half. Not the assembled case. (McMark is smiling right now) You can find them on EBay at a buy it now price that matches what the guy normally charges.

I got an engine bracket from J.C.Whitney that slid right into a $39 Harbour freight engine stand. I don't see it in the book any more. Check "Hot VW" for an engine bracket, they usually have a smaller diameter mounting tube.

We just took a 1.8 apart 2 weeks ago using a standard engine stand. Had to notch the end of one or two of the arms and use a little longer bolt on one arm but it worked fine. Sorry I can't remember any better and the stand is still over at Kevin's house. I'll see if he can describe the mods better or post a pix.

The EMPI stand. it is what I am using. I cut the top off a HF engine stand and welded the bench mount on for the EMPI stand. Works like a charm.

Zach

I use an 'HF' transmission jack to lift engines up to the stands.

My stands are made from 'HF' bases with modified VW/T-4 Bus transaxle bell housings

after all this I got it on the stand I have, the 4 bolts hooked up and were adjustable enough.

I use an empi. Cost: 23 bucks. Works vw.

	A standard engine stand like this one will not support an engine half sufficiently. They are fine once the case is bolted together and they are fine for disassembly. But I would never build a motor on one.
Click to view attachment	The EMPI style stands are much better, but are still not great. They work and have worked for thousands of motors. But the EMPI stand is wobbly and for me that's very nerve wracking.
Click to view attachment	The best stand (IMHO) is the style that has a full half-circle to support the engine. They are solid, robust, and work really, really well.

For a one time builder, the EMPI is probably fine if you can handle the perceived instability.

I built many type-1 engines on the EMPI-style stand. Still have one out in the shed. I've seen folks weld a horizontal tube at the front to add additional wheels for more stability, but they're still lightweight and wouldn't want to use it for a T-4 or a /6 in full dress ...

EMPI stand should NEVER be used for a six.

On my first stand that I built, I took 2 of the 2-arm yoke and welded together a 4-arm yoke and had my friend's father make me a 1/2 ring to weld the arms to. I still use that one for transmissions.

My second and third stands utilize the later 5-arm yokes like shown above. For the actual stand, I build mine to be similar in design to a standard 1500# stand as shown by McMark.

I did something a bit different on my last stand. I slit the tube that allows the mount to rotate and can use it as a clamp. I can hold an engine at ANY angle, not just 0, 45, 90, 135, 180.


There are some people making adapter rings that bolt to standard 4-arm engine stands that allow them to be used with Porsche engines.



just my $0.02

I got my adapter from parts heaven over in hayward. Here is a shot of it:

Click to view attachment

Yes, those are very robust and I will eventually come across one down the road, but they still only bolt up at two locations on the case. Of course, there's no way around that issue, so I like the modified bell housing cases ... they double as run platforms when the engine is done

P.S. Nice motor Larry

This is exactly what I have - works great!

I have the one that is just the ring part that can fit to the 4 arms of the std stand mount. I got it for a deal....and now I cant find it. Did I lend it to someone and forget? If I got the whole adapter like above it would have been harder to lose

But you can't build a motor on a bell housing stand.

Due to the lip that slides into the bell housing, separating and rejoining the engine case halves is awkward, but do-able. I'm working on re-modifying the bell housings to eliminate the problem ... cutting away some material on one side and using short spacers ... will keep you guys posted.