Best way to mount a 235 Chevy to an engine stand

Hi,
I’m about to mount a 235 Chevy to an engine stand and I just wanted to check with others that have already done it to confirm my plan will work.

My plan is to mount the engine (long block with most parts removed) to a ½ ton engine stand using four 3” GR8 steel hex screws. I’m bolting the engine stand to the bolt holes that the transmission mounts into.

I ***ume it should be fine because I’ve bought the strongest screws that they sell at Tacoma Screw Products Inc. The only thing that has me slightly concerned is that they are 5/16” and they only thread about a half inch into the engine flywheel cover. The engine seems very top heavy so I’m just worried about how well the stand and the setup I have will carry the weight.

What do people think? Will this setup work OK?
I ***ume that when it comes time to flip the engine over in the stand so I can access to bottom of the engine I’ll want to have someone else there to make sure the engine stand does not fall over. Curious to get feedback on that as well.

I attached some picks of the engine and the engine stand so everyone can see what I’m working with.

 

I went ahead and used the setup that I had. It seems to be working OK. It is very top heavy but the bolts seem to be holding.

 

Glad to see that you got 'er out of the car ok. Those engine are long and top heavy. For that reason, it's good to have it mounted as far back as possible...not hanging over the front of the stand. I'm a little concerned that you left the flywheel cover on, and you have spacers on the bolts...which all brings the engine further forward. Also that you used the smaller diameter bolts and only engaged 1/2 inch. It'd probably hold, but you can do better. You're gonna rebuild the engine? Then you need to remove the flywheel anyway. I'd remove the engine...I know, more work...remove the flywheel and cover, and remount the engine on the stand using the larger diameter holes in the block. Get as much thread engagement as possible. A couple of the holes are through holes, and you'll be using nuts on 'em. Mount it as low as possible to help to make it a little easier to flip updide down. It's still gonna be top heavy, so it'll take some muscle...but you can do it. And be careful when you flip it back to upright...though it's not a big danger. After you do it a couple of times, you won't be as apprehensvie. Hold onto 'er as she goes, just to slow it down a bit.

 

Woops...I think I said it wrong. If I remember correctly, these engines may look top heavy, but they really aren't. They're bottom heavy. Harder to flip upside down than to flip upright. But everything else still applies. Good luck.

 

One more clarification. They're top-heavy when mounted in a car. Bottom heavy when mounted on an engine stand such as yours.

 

As Rickbop said. These engines are heavy and have a long arm, they can droop down quite a bit in front.

 

Thanks everyone.

Yeah, I did mount the engine stand to the flywheel cover and having done it I don't recommend it. It's prob OK if you don't want to flip the engine over but it's not a good idea if you plan to flip it. In my case, when I tried to flip the engine over some of the bolts didn't hold and the engine shifted on the engine stand mount. Also, like everyone said, the engine is a few inches over the stand. Sketchy.

Good to know that the engine is bottom heavy. I didn't realize that but it explains why it turned over in the stand but I was not able to turn it upright. Good to know.

My new plan is to remove the flywheel cover and mount to the block.

FYI only... I will not rebuild the bottom half of the engine in the stand. The compression is pretty good as is. I plan to leave it as is but I want to replace the rear main seal and a few other seals. To get to the rear main seal I would like to be able to flip the engine over in the engine stand. I Also want to clean the engine and paint it.

Thanks for the help and input everyone. My next trick is to figure out how the flywheel comes off the back of the block. I have no clue. I'll tackle that problem next.

 

Mark the flywheel to the crank so you install it back in the same location, keeps things in balance that way. It just un bolts like anything else. also don't forget to apply proper torque to the bolts when you re-install it.

 

Thanks!! I'll work on pulling it tonight.

Any idea where I would check to get the correct torque for the flywheel bolts?

 

Ask the guys over at stovebolt.com for exact specifics on things like bolt torque specs.

I'm thinking 60lbs should be close.

I believe that the flywheel only goes on one way. A reference mark sure won't hurt though. Be sure to save the bolt locks, and reinstall them during re***embly. You won't be able to remove the bolts 'til you unfold them from the bolt head. Use a chisel or old screwdriver and a hammer.

You might have a bit of a challenge loosening the 3? flathead screws in the front of the motor. Use an impact driver...the kind you hit with a hammer. They're not very expensive if you have to buy one. Use the biggest standard screwdriver tip for slotted screws. Keep the tool nice and straight and engaged into the screw slot. If they won't budge, don't over-do it and mess up the screwdriver slot. Put some heat to 'em, and they'll come out with the impact driver. And don't lose those screws.

Go slow, pay attention, keep everything in order, be careful not to hurt yourself. Be mindful of what could happen if in the unlikely event that the engine should fall. (keep your feet out from under it) Keep everything nice and clean during ***embly...esp internal parts. Have fun.

 

I have a 216 and I removed the flywheel and bell housing and bolted the engine stand X-Wing to the block (where the bell housing bolts to) using Grade 8 bolts. And you should careful with any motor on the engine stand. The less you move it, the better. The less you flip the engine over the better. And whenever you loosen or tighten a bolt, while the engine is on the stand, always make sure the force is towards the stand and not away from the stand.

 

I removed the bell housing as everyone suggested. Bolted the engine stand to the block using Grade8 bolts. Worked great. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

Some form of truss in between the bottom front of the motor and the top front of the engine stand doesn't hurt either. Lift the front of the motor a hair, and slide a cut to length 2" x 4" or something in there. Cheap insurance, and makes it a little less shakey when moving it around.

 

It all turned out OK. Not too shaky. I removed the housing that connects the motor to the transmission. That step is a must. Tonight was a key test because I flipped the engine in the stand so I could get to the rear main seal. Flipped right over no problem. Not shaky at all. Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

When I have any engine on an engine stand, I wedge a wood 2x4 vertically between the balancer on the front of the crank and the engine stand.

It takes a little strain off the mounting bolts and provides me with some peace-of-mind.

Good luck and take lots of pictures.

 

Haven't been around many inlines, so bear with me here.
How hard would it be to design a mount to fit in a standard engine stand so the the typical inline is mounted with the crank at a right angle to the upright of the engine stand? Then the long moment of the crank wouldn't be as much of an issue.
Would the bosses on one side of the block be enough to hold the weight?
I'm just thinking out loud here.

 

mike-do a search on google for engine stands and you will see that a lot of the higher dollar stands mount the engine at right angles to the upright.the first photo showed a detroit diesel mounted that way,oh by the way the stand sells for over $4000!!!the stands we used 45 years ago in tech school also mounted that way,they had a heavy J-shaped tube from the back of the block to the stand which allowed the engine to be either tipped end for end or turned over the usual way