The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop engine stand for 228?

I just pulled the 228 out of my 1941 GMC 1 ton. The best I can tell, it has not been run for 40 years or so. My intent in pulling the engine is to give it a good once over to make sure things are not stuck, froze, or plugged up. I want to put the engine on an engine stand and would like to leave the bell housing on it when I do so. It would be easy enough to use the 4 transmission bolt holes in the bell housing to mount it to the flat plate on the engince stand. Has anyone done this. The engine seems so heavy that I fear it may break or crack the bell housing when I rotate the engine on the stand with that much weight on bell housing :confused: . I want to leave the bell housing on so I can eventually make sure the starter will do it's job. This truck has the old "crash box" 4 speed transmission so it has the early bell housing on it. Any comments appreciated. Roy

It could be done, but you would need one mother of a stand, like something theyd use for tractor engines, with the straigth 6, and the bellhousing, that puts the weight very far out. I tried this with a small **** v8 once, and snapped the stand right in 2. After I fixed the stand, and took off the bell housing, it worked fine

I have my 261 on a rotating stand sideways. I don't have the bell housing on so I am using 2 bell housing bolts and 2 bolt holes on the side-mount holes. I have not figured out the new picture posting protocol (it took me a LONG time to figure out the last one) but I would be happy to take a picture of my engine on the stand and email it to you, if you like.

All the big diesel engines (JD, CAT, Cummins, ect) mount their engines in a stand on their sides UNLESS there is some method of supporting the end of the engine.

Thanks for the replies. Why does it seem that all the simple solutions come from someone else. I will have no poblem setting up some type of side stand mounts. My engine stand is an old high school welding project and actually weighs about the same as the engine. It has the strength...now that I think about it, I better check the welds (I was 16 then)!

Here is something to try with a new shirt! my engine is setting on a pallet. I pulled the plugs and shot the cylinders and valve train with oil. It turned over by hand so I gave the starter a little shot. All of you know that the starter is on the spark plug side so you can guess where I was standing. It turned over all right, and you can guess where all the oil went! :mad:

Since you're the Milk Man---was it a white shirt???? Anyway------glad to hear I'm not the only one that does clever things like this------!!