Rigging question

[steve from staten island]

Im going to mate up the engine and trans,but id also like to install the K frame. With all this,what is the best lifting spots and the strongest on my 383? Im thinking of installing the engine/trans from the bottom the way ive been told. What i was thinking of doing is borrowing a truck transmission jack that someone i work for has. It could handel the weight no problem and if its large enough to hold a HD truck tranny,my engine/trans should go right up into place. As long as i can get to the K frame bolts it should be no problem. What do you think? Appreciate the reply's

 

[WileE]

I'm not sure exactly how you're doing this, but... you lower the car onto the drivetrain. The k-frame & drivetrain are stationary.

 

[Sixpactogo]

Here are some pictures of how I do the underside install. Build a cart strong enough to hold the weight. Lift the body high enough to roll the assembly in. Once the assembly is under the body, lower the body down onto the assembly. Then use an engine lift plate on the intake carb mounting bolts and lift the assemby up to bolt the K frame to the body. I use a floor jack on the transmission to lift it up into place. About a half hour's work once you are set up. You will need a cherry picker or overhead hoist to make this system work. Good luck with your install

 

[steve from staten island]

I dont have a overhead hoist. I have a engine crane. If i put the engine on a dolly would a floor jack get the body high enough.I have some 12x12's that i could put under the rear wheels and then keep jacking up the front,i wonder if this would work

 

[Jonnyuma]

I always thought the purpose behind lowering the car over the engine/trans/K was that the engine already bolted to the K. Why do you wait until the engine/trans are in place to install the K frame, Sixpactogo?

 

[Trashdog67]

Im going to mate up the engine and trans,but id also like to install the K frame. With all this,what is the best lifting spots and the strongest on my 383? Im thinking of installing the engine/trans from the bottom the way ive been told. What i was thinking of doing is borrowing a truck transmission jack that someone i work for has. It could handel the weight no problem and if its large enough to hold a HD truck tranny,my engine/trans should go right up into place. As long as i can get to the K frame bolts it should be no problem. What do you think? Appreciate the reply's

All you need is this little setup. ;-)

 

[steve from staten island]

WOW !!! Great picture

 

[Cranky]

Steve, sounds to me like you don't really have the setup to do it this way. Neither do I and I'm setup better than you are by the sounds of it with an engine crane and an overhead hoist. I still drop my engines/trans in from the top. I use one of those equalizer engine lifts and a 4 wheel dolly for the tail shaft of the trans to land on just for added measure plus the 4 wheel dolly allows me to but a floor jack under the trans to lift it up some more once I'm ready to bolt it up. Been doing it this way for years and by myself using the overhead hoist. Just don't particularly like using engine cranes unless I have to.

 

[5.7 hemi]

The engine hoist will lift the car without any problems.

 

[Cranky]

Yup, the engine crane should have no problem lifting the front end so long as the boom isn't extended.

 

[Meep-Meep]

I made a body lifting fixture and engine cradle and my engine crane lifts the body just fine. I pivot off the rear wheels and leave the tires on the ground.

 

[HT413]

View attachment 191497
Here are some pictures of how I do the underside install.

Sorry, but this pic is nuts. Saw horses!?

 

[steve from staten island]

Yup, the engine crane should have no problem lifting the front end so long as the boom isn't extended.

Crank,wouldn't the legs of the engine crane be in the way,hitting the engine while it was on the ground

 

[Meep-Meep]

The cradle under the hemi was an early iteration and evolved into the much simpler and taller one seen under the 6 BBL motor. The body lifting fixture is the same and is currently in use on a friends 66 hemi Charger.

 

[5.7 hemi]

There's room. It's done all the time.

 

[sleepar]

I would use the crane to put the engine in from the top with the trans all ready in the car with a floor jack under the trans with the car on Jack stands... doing the whole assembly on a truck trans jack would work if you had the body on a lift to lower it on to at an angle with the front end up you run the chance of the trans jack slipping out from under and seems like more work than its worth...

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Sorry, but this pic is nuts. Saw horses!?[/QUO

So anything goes then.... don't bother to chock the wheels and if you don't post for a few days hopefully someone pulls you out from under it.... I pull and replace engine's with a crane with the trans in the car.... it's what I'm familiar with 2¢

 

[Runner 68]

Sorry, but this pic is nuts. Saw horses!?

No $hit HT, glad you noticed it too. Cheap assed saw horses to boot, I own a pair just like them. Check out the twist in the leg closest to the camera, 6 more ounces of pressure and KABOOM!

Sixpac must be a Molly Hatchet fan. Flirtin' with Disaster.

 

[Sixpactogo]

Don't know any Molly Hatchet but I was a little concerned with my rigging with the horses. Although they are "cheap assed saw horses" they were rated at 1000 lbs each when new. They appear to be over taxed but in reality an empty E body front end with nothing but the hood and fenders weighs in at less than 1000# at the point where the horses are located. That equates to less than 500# on each horse.
I agree that it would not be in the be safe to depend on them for any kind of duration or working under the car but it seemed safe enough for me to roll the cart under before re rigging my Cherry picker. I think the guy driving your avitar was flirting with disaster more than I was.

 

[Cranky]

Crank,wouldn't the legs of the engine crane be in the way,hitting the engine while it was on the ground

Steve, do you still need me to reply to this? 5.7 showed a pic in #9 how he does it and Meep has pics in #14. More than one way to skin a squirrel

 

[steve from staten island]

Cranky,no but thanks for the help. I think im going to weld me a setup to lift the car as shown and slide it underneath