The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop straight six and engine stand

I'm stuck...Need some help in mounting the 261 stovebolt onto a HF engine stand. What type of bolt set up works best for this stand?

How can the bell housing bolts be loosened behind the flywheel? No clear info in mannual, trick or special tool to reach up from underneth?

Just may mount with the bell housing attached, have made a modified support for stand...see photo of stand and bell housing (don't plan on rotating in stand!) Anyone ever done this?

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568738804JFrdrM

i just went through this....

you have to remove the flywheel to remove bellhousing. i would not mount the bellhousing to the stand. you can see in one of these pictures i had to turn the mount sideways to fit the engine.
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2060024940102811150LjOApT

will the HF engine stand support the engine without coming apart? be careful

watch your toes! :P

No matter what brand of stand that you are using (and Harbor Freight stands are very good), what size/weight stand is it (750 lb, 1,000 lb, 2,000 lb)? The 2,000 is best, the 1,000 is OK but be very careful, and do not use the 750 lb stand.

Looks like you have a 1,000 lb stand (with the modified support that you describe above). I agree that the clutch housing, clutch assembly, and flywheel should come off. If you leave the clutch housing on, you will be very "front heavy". Either way, be careful.

If you can figure out this photo, you'll see the top "arms" have bolts going through the pivot point (not through the slots). I have had to use this configuration on 235s/261s with both Harbor Freight and other brands of stands.

Tim

Crow...you can see a 235 on my HF stand in my picturetrail link below. It's shown with the truck.

I have a Cummins stand that looks to be very similar to Dave's. I needed to drill some additional holes in the arms so that I could properly locate the engine to center the engine center of gravity with and without the cylinder head assembly. Make sure that you get a stand with four wheels and as much distance (both wheelbase and track) as possible so that the engine c.g. is always well within the wheel footprint. I once tried to use a tricycle stand that had worked fine with a sbc, but I almost had a tipover with a 261.

Thanks for the great help. Will take the fly wheel off and turn the stand plate vertical. The pictures helped the most.
Engines look good, What engine paint did you use (high temp) (ceramic)???

Eric

I used the standard engine grey paint from Chevies of the 40's.

i had the auto paint store match the color off the valve cover and mix up a can of engine enamel.

I just did this as well. I used a 1/2 ton, and had to tweak the arms all around and use spacers. It's pretty wobbly, and I will not move or roll it on the stand. I moved it at first with the cherry picker still attached, but with some slack ( sorta like "on belee")for saftey. Now when it goes back in, I'll do the cherry picker trick again.

Recently, we moved around three different 235 and 261 engines with the 2,000 lb Harbor Freight engine stand.

It was very stable rolling the engine in and out of garages (100s of feet over cement and blacktop) for service and for painting. In addition, the 360 degree rotation of the engine was very easy (and very handy, especially for putting on the pan gasket).

Tim

i agree with tim. i had a 248 take a header the other year with a three legged stand. i picked up the one tim has and i have a 270 on it now and find it quite sturdy and safe

I agree with all the above! Go for the bigger stand.
I modified the little HF stand by moving the center piece out to the end and putting in a longer piece in the middle and it was more stable. But for the next engine I do I think I'm gonna get the bigger one Tim has and cut up the little one for a frame rotisserie.
Mongo