The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Engine Hoist Points

I getting ready to pull a 235 and Powerglide. followed the shop manual, which was clear up to the point of stating, "Remove valve cover and use lifting hooks in head bolt holes. first it seems that I should remove the rocker arm assemblies. Which head bolts should I remove for the best and safest lifting points? Thanks.

twe56: The way I like doing it is get a good heavy chain pull your 4 corner bolts. Put bolts back thru chain links at each corner. Leave enough slack to join the 2 loops of chain in center with hoist hook. Had 396 and Auto transmission fall on left hand because chain broke. popcorn the Truth is Out There (Safety first good thing ground was soft or hand would of been gone)

Thanks, makes very good sense. Will I be able to use the head bolts or should I shop for some longer ones -- don't want to stretch anything.

twe: Sorry should of mentioned get longer ones with big flat washers give the chain link more square area to pull against. popcorn The Truth is Out There (That way you will not bugger up originals)

Thanks, really appreciate it.

You don't want to stress one of your actual head bolts. When you start to lift, you will get an idea of who it will sit on the chain. Always leave the way clear to go back to where you started and try again. That way if you get it part way out and have a problem, it won't be a problem to start again.

I use a big woven style hawser I got from a coast guard friend instead of a chain. It is plenty strong enough and gentle on the paint. I loop it under the bellhousing and harmonic balancer. It can easily be adjusted to keep the engine in a nice balance.

I do keep my feet out of the way when I use it though. I'm an eagle scout so I use the right knots too. I trust rope a bit more than chain. It usually give a better indication if it is going to fail.

What grade of bolts do you need to use to lift the engine?

Grade 8. They're way too strong, but safety is important here. Also, use a chain of known strength. Chain Definitions

twe - I have a load equalizer thingy you can use for a month or so if you need it. Its a bar with a crank on it that allows you to move the pivot point about a foot - it was helpful for me when I dealt with installing my 292. I am not too far from you down in garland.

I've installled quite a few 235/261 engines in the following manner;one end the the chain is bolted to the head on rear right using a home made steel plate bolted to the two 5/16 threaded holes for the coil, one 3/8 bolt securing the chain end to this bracket, and the front is secured to either a water pump bolt, or using the generator bracket bolt hole. Just one 3/8 bolt at the front, using a leveller with the two short pieces of DOT rated chain, and the bolts I use are grade 5 or whatever is laying around the shop,lol.The chains that come with the leveller are common non test chain generally. I do a lot of rigging at work using chainfalls and such to position large heavy electrial components in place, weighing many tons in some cases.A length of common low strength grade 2, 3/8 inch threaded rod is capable of supporting over 500 lbs according to engineering charts.I have personally used a single grade 5 ,3/8 bolt to secure the ends of a chain supporting over 1000 lbs as the equipment is lowered into place. Of course I stand clear using a tag line to guide the equipment into place as it's lowered.Our electrial winches used to pull large wires into conduit have torque meters on them, I have seen readings in excess of 5000 lbs of pulling force, the pulling rope secured to the wire ends using a clevis with a single 1/2 inch threaded forged pin.When pulling a junk engine,I just wrap the chain around the rocker arm shafts, very crude.
It's always good to be on the safe side when pulling a heavy engine,the head bolts certainly won't break, but I don't like to loosen head bolts on an engine I just spent time on making sure all the head bolts were torqued properly in sequence.At any rate, never put your hands in a position where the engine could crush you if it slips no matter how you rig it.

Thnks guys for all of the input and options. Irwin, thanks for offering the use of your leveler. Picked one up on the way home yesterday.

Success -- though I had to remove the passenger side rear motor mount completely to clear a protrusion on the transmission case, not the easiest to do -- especially since when the trans shop that worked the powerglide mixed and matched SAE & Metric fittings --- anyway -- thanks again to you all for your inputs. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!