Engine hoist question.

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KC1971Grande

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Aug 23, 2014
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Location
Kentucky
My Car
1971 Mustang Grande, originally bought new by my father in Louisville, KY at Bill Collins Ford. Original color Medium Green Metallic, 302 2V engine, 3 speed manual, medium or dark green vinyl top and interior, and few other options.
I have been shopping engine hoists for a while and wondered what size hoist users here would recommend. I am pulling a small block 302 and going to return that engine to the bay or possibly a 306 crate motor. Also planning to unbolt the transmission from the motor and just pull the motor. Thinking I will have to put the motor back in and then install the transmission. Just a note here, I am going to swap out the stock 3 speed manual for a T-5 I already have in storage.

So what size hoist should I get? I have looked at 1 ton, 1.5 ton, and 2 ton hoists so far.

 
any of the above will be fine I use a Big Red from Northern Tool that I paid about 200 bucks for. You will be well served to remove your front bumper to get enough reach with many lifts. You can also rent them, but I find all sorts of uses for mine

 
I bought a 2T unit from AutoZone. Price was about $200. Doublecheck the height of the front legs, where they roll under the car. Mine is a little taller than some, but it works fine. I've found a lot of use for it, besides just hoisting motors. I've hoisted auto trans, rear diffs, my welding table, truck frame, etc. It was a great investment.

 
Rule of thumb: buy the biggest, best quality hoist you can find. The better ones have four wheels instead of three. I'd go for the 2 ton version and make sure it can fold up out of the way when not in use.

 
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I have a 2 ton that I bought at harbor freight. I've stopped buying anything but disposable items (gloves, blast media, etc.) at harbor freight because of multiple failures, but the hoist has held up well and everything is made in China anymore anyway. I like that the legs come off for storage. I've used it for lifting stuff in and out of my pickup more than pulling engines.

With that said, consider pulling and installing the tranny with the engine. It's so much easier than trying to lift the tranny in and line it up later, or dropping it out without a tranny jack. Just saying. Put a drain pan under the tail shaft and move it forward as you pull the engine so you don't permanently stain your concrete floor.

Steve

 
A medium glove on the tail shaft helps keep the mess down.

IMG_0264_zps7077b03f.jpg


 
Look for features such as under car clearance where the casters are not directly under the arms. It helps a lot more than you would think. Sorry that I don't have a better picture at the moment.

IMG_1469_zps2b344ba4.jpg


Also things such as a knob/arm to release the calendar pressure in a slow controlled manner vs the usual twisting of a pump handle. My hoist also came with a leveler which was another nice touch.

Buy it once and have it for life.

 
I have a 2 ton that I bought at harbor freight. I've stopped buying anything but disposable items (gloves, blast media, etc.) at harbor freight because of multiple failures, but the hoist has held up well and everything is made in China anymore anyway. I like that the legs come off for storage. I've used it for lifting stuff in and out of my pickup more than pulling engines.

With that said, consider pulling and installing the tranny with the engine. It's so much easier than trying to lift the tranny in and line it up later, or dropping it out without a tranny jack. Just saying. Put a drain pan under the tail shaft and move it forward as you pull the engine so you don't permanently stain your concrete floor.

Steve
I also went the same route back in 2004 with the 2-ton HF model that you can break down into components for storage. About the only HF thing that has held up over time, but I've only used it 5-6 times in the past decade. I agree with attaching transmission to install together. I like the idea of using a vinyl glove taped to the tailhousing...

 
I have a 2 ton that I bought at harbor freight. I've stopped buying anything but disposable items (gloves, blast media, etc.) at harbor freight because of multiple failures, but the hoist has held up well and everything is made in China anymore anyway. I like that the legs come off for storage. I've used it for lifting stuff in and out of my pickup more than pulling engines.

With that said, consider pulling and installing the tranny with the engine. It's so much easier than trying to lift the tranny in and line it up later, or dropping it out without a tranny jack. Just saying. Put a drain pan under the tail shaft and move it forward as you pull the engine so you don't permanently stain your concrete floor.

Steve
I also went the same route back in 2004 with the 2-ton HF model that you can break down into components for storage. About the only HF thing that has held up over time, but I've only used it 5-6 times in the past decade. I agree with attaching transmission to install together. I like the idea of using a vinyl glove taped to the tailhousing...
What they said, I almost always pull and install the engine/tranny together. As far as not making a mess.....I have several old driveline yokes that I stuff in the end of the tranny so no fluid coming out. You can get plastic versions as well.....

 
The Big Red 2 ton I bought folds up with one pin on each leg and came with a leveler for the engine. I use it to lift one of my motorcycles that doesn't have a frame under the engine A couple of straps to the leveler and around the right spots and you can lift her right up and use the leveler to position it however you want during wheel removal.

I do think the caster hardware is insufficient and would recommend upgrading to grade 5 and nylock insert nuts at the least.

 
The reason I am planning to pull the engine alone is that right now I don't have enough room where the car sets to pull engine and transmission at once. I have two other cars setting close by that leave me with about two feet too little room to pull more than just the motor at this time and for the near future.

Thanks for the input.

 
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