The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 lifting points?

Can anyone help me out with the proper location of the lifting points to hook to to lift a 235 off of the stand and reinstall on chassis? Maybe a diagram showing which bolt holes to use and if special brackets are needed. Thankyou. Elmer

I personally used a long load rated eye bolt where the second to last head bolt goes and put a grade 8 bolt through a loop in the chain in an unused hole near thermostat. It worked well for me. I wrapped the chain with red rags and duct tape to protect the valve cover. I would consider an engine leveler if you can find one it would make this a one man job. I've seen them in the harbor freight catalog.

I have heard on here of guys hooking the chain directly to the valve assembly also but this scares the hell out of me personally. Or making a sling or hooking onto the intake / exhaust manifold also. there are many different ways to do this but, the way I did required not having to put on the valve cover and the least possibility of damage to the engine.

Good luck.

Yup- Did mine recently. I sprung for the load levelor. One cylinder head bolt near the front, and one near the back..worked fine.

Keith

The rocker arm stands are held down with 3/8" bolts. Using a slightly longer Grade 8 bolt to replace the front and rear rocker stand bolts, and bolting a short piece of angle iron under them gives you a very secure place to attach a chain or a load-leveler, right on center of the engine. No problems with twisting, or risking head bolt damage.
Jerry

Elmer,

Here's the picture from a Shop Manual:
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1954truck/54ctsm0621.html

Most likely you'll need to take off the hood to use a load leveler. I like to use a load leveler but have recently done it with and without.

Special brackets attached to head bolts are nice, but the recommendations above are good: just use a little longer rocker-arm bolts.

Tim

Speedway sells a good leveler, better made than HF or Cummins (at least about three years ago) Speedway leveler image. .

I've used both the rocker arm bolt and head bolt methods.

Hoyt

I've read or was told that you should not use any corner head bolt holes to hoist the motor as this can snap out or crack the corner.Whether it's true or not , I use the next head bolt in from each corner witha load leveler just in case.

Don't want to rattle any of you "chain fans" but I've found that a 2"X20' tow strap wrapped 3 times around the front, middle and rear of the block, with both loops through the lift hook, will get the job done with fewer problems.

There's no question that the strap will support a 650 pound block and you're not going to be scaring things up....the block can be installed with everything added without concerns about the chains breaking up manifolds, valve covers, distributor, and anything else you want to bolt on with the engine out of the chassis.

I tie a light rope around the strap, just under the eyes which keeps the engine from rotating. I have a leveler but have found that the block can be moved in the strap and you don't have to deal with the extra height.

Once you use the strap you'll see what I mean.

Dave

There's nothing bad or wrong about using any technique that works: chains or strap. It just depends on what you have available and what you are comfortable using.

However, it is hard to have fewer problems than no problems (even with a fully equipped engine with transmission attached).

Well said Tim.....I just thought that someone else might like to be able to install the manifolds, valve cover, distributor, and have the engine all dressed up and ready to fire when they set the engine in the chassis. Guess I must be getting old as any way I can avoid spending a couple hours bending over a fender getting the manifolds bolted up works for me. If you've got the sheetmetal off the front it might not be that much of a time saver.

Just another option.....

Dave

I know this is gonna make a lotta people cringe,,but Ive just put the hook of the hoist under the rocker shaft and lifted the motor out!! Definitely with the hood off.
If you stop and think about it and look at it,,theres only abt. 6-8 inches between the rocker stand bolts so theres no way that anythings gonna break,or bend. Ive done many that way and never damaged anything.
I know.....Very primitive..........But it works!

I've done two in the last month. One with a load leveler and one without. Both with a boom-arm roll-in engine lift/crane. One with front sheet metal off and the other with just the radiator out (hoods-on in both cases).

In both cases all bolt-on parts were (or will be) on the engine coming out and going in.

One engine was pulled with a four-speed on it, and the other engine was pulled with the three-speed left in the truck. I dropped the three-speed before putting the engine back in. That engine was put back in place with all parts bolted to it.

There will be no need to hang over the fenders on the truck we left the sheet metal on, except for the two remote oil filter lines and the exhaust pipes.

Either chains or straps can work fine. But there is no reason why chains require that the engine be stripped before it is returned to the truck.

Tim

Marty, it does make me cringe, but I have seen a few folks do it. Including a local guy that rebuilds a lot of stovebolt engines. He swears it is not a problem, he just wraps a chain around the rocker arm shaft and lifts away, even with freshly rebuilt motors.
Steve