I have a '51 Olds engine that was rebuilt about 20 years ago and has been sitting since. I want to pull the pan and check it out before I try to start it. Of course, mounting it on an engine stand will facilitate this. One thing bothers me, though. These engines have an "extended bell" that looks about as deep as an early flathead, and we all know that mounting them on a regular stand is a "no-no". Unfortunately, the Oldsmobile doesn't have any exhaust ports in the block to use as an alternative mounting point. Is there any risk of the bell breaking if these are mounted in a conventional manner? (I know they are heavy engines, almost as much as a hemi.) How do most folks handle this? Member "J_J2" on here has a thread, and he has his engine mounted in a conventional manner. He has the starter housing already mounted on the engine and the bottom "arms" on the stand are bolted to it. This looks a lot more sturdy than a flathead (which only has the top half of the bell), but is it strong enough? What to you "Rocketeers" do?
I mounted my extended bell 49 caddy on an engine stand with no problems. Should be about the same thing. I made sure the lower bell was on it though because I think that makes it stronger
Or you could do it the traditional way we did it back in the day...... Roll it around on a greasy oily floor on a piece of cardboard as you crawl around on your knees to take it apart.
Denny, I don’t have a photo to share, but I typically put a support (2x4) under the front of the crank and down to the center tube of the engine stand. The strain on the bolts and/or block threads make me uneasy, even with a lighter weight six cylinder inline because of the length acting as a ‘lever’. There are variations of that idea, but the extra support gives me peace of mind. For a straight eight Buick I made a side mount bracket, similar to the flathead Ford mount that bolted to the block exhaust ports. Of course the Buick is an OHV, but I used the concept. I used a piece of angle stock along the pan rail and some flat plate that bolted to the side of the block engine mount bosses.. That, in turn, bolted to the engine stand. The block could be rotated 360* but being side mounted the weight was close in to the engine stand vertical post. Ray
Yeah, but if I did that, I'll bet the engine wouldn't end up looking as good as Mark's Cadillac, which is kinda what I'm aiming for. Ray, that's a pretty good idea. I have Hurst engine mount adapters for just about everything I work on. (You know, the ones that bolt to an engine and make the mounts look like a '41-'48 Ford,) I'll look into making a "Yoke" that will accept that mount pattern and bolts to the stand center tube. A little more "elegant" than a piece of 2X4.
Mine is mounted in the usual way but it’s just a short block at the moment. Now you have me thinking more about the ***embly sequence. I’m gonna ****on up the bottom end then bolt on the front mount and make a support before putting the heads on. Thanks for bringing this up. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I was just thinking about it, when I mounted mine I used the plate instead of the arms for two reasons; it seemed like the plate offered more load bearing surface than the arms for the given number of bolts and it also moved the overall load back closer to the upright post. It was pretty unstable hanging out on the arms. I suppose I should have made a new plate with enough area to bolt up with the starter casting in place. Next time.
Love this comment...even better if done in the hotel parking lot at night before the big race...bonus points for inside the hotel room. Always loved those pictures capturing the story in the old magazines. Traditional.
Kinda the same thing that Hnstray said............but different. You need to make it low enough that you can lower it far enough to be out of the way when rotating the engine, and high enough to support the engine. I use it more for long term storage than dis***embly.
What EKIMNEIRBO, and HNSTRAY, said. Unless you are lucky enough to score a Kent-Moore diesel engine stand like I did at an auction. It is about 6' long and has a fixture that rotates and bolts to the front of the motor. Pat
I had mine on a 1 ton HF cheapie stand for a couple of months and it was fine, although I did have the lower bellhousing bolted on. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I think that using the lower bellhousing (starter mount) makes everything work. I still like "ekimneirbo"'s setup though. I'm a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy.
Having the lower bell on the block is the best way if using a conventional engine stand. Here's a picture from my kid's garage to add another visual to this zombie thread.
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