Engine hoist ???'s

Gantry setup would be better if you can;t pull it from the side

Problem is that by the time you get a boom long enough, the leg spread would be so wide it won;t go under the car

dickeymoore said:

Can anyone recommend a engine hoist that has a long boom and leg extensions. I have a Torin big red engine hoist but it rubs the front of my Monte Carlo SS?

Click to expand...

You probably need to disassemble the front of your car. When I swapped engines in my Regal I had to remove the front bumper and grill but left the front header in place. This allowed me to get the hoist in enough to swap the engine and trans together with the belt driven accessories attached. I did leave the radiator fan off for clearance.

I accepted defeat by just removing the grill and bumper everytime. It's a pain but it really doesn't take all that much time as people might believe.

The worst part is having to put it somewhere in the meantime...

I have the Larin hoist but it's the same as the Hobo Freight one with fold down legs that don't extend.

I just drilled another hole 3" farther back on the arm tube. It's way long enough to get my buick V6 in my cutlass and just barely the right length for my LS in my 2+2.

Is it product safety approved? No. Have I installed or removed half a dozen engines with it without issue? Yes. As long as you are on generally flat concrete it should be fine.

There is a pressure relief valve in the cylinder so if it's overloaded it will just stop pumping if it gets overloaded.

PSA: I am a hack and claim no responsibility over damage or injury.....

dickeymoore said:

Yeah I thought about drilling another hole in the arm tube

Click to expand...

Just remember that engineers that are a lot smarter then us, decided what and where to place things. Everything is for a good reason. Safety and liability were the main concerns. Defy that at your own risk. A half-ton of engine/transmission is not something to take lightly.

Another reason to put the frame on stands when removing an engine is so you don't get spring bounce. So the soonest the weight of the engine off of the frame, the front end is going to bounce up because it is no longer pushing down on the springs. You don't want to make that mistake and accidentally smash something into the windshield..., been there done that.

You can lengthen the arm by pulling it out and drilling another hole for the pin I've done that but you have to understand that now you have to counterweight the back of the hoist otherwise the back of the hoist is going to flip up. And as stated before you are extending the lever arm and adding more stress to the hoist. You have to do this very very very very very very very carefully, but I can be done.

The method I used, pull the arm out leaving at least 8 to 12 in inside the main tube. Use a sharpie to draw the circle. Put a cross in that circle finding center. Drill a pilot hole all the way through. It has to be square..., parallel & perpendicular. Then use your step bit to make the hole larger. Then from there do not use the pin that's supplied. Use a bolt that is either a half inch or 9/16 inch grade 8 bolt. Then lock that down so you actually have clamping force that is holding the outer tube with the inner tube together not slopping around.

Smart move. Perusing Harbor Break, I only see the fold-able models. And those have the legs that don't extend. And are pretty expensive these days. My old timer extendable just got more valuable.
If no one mentioned it, removing the hood makes a big difference too. Often when I am in a hurry, I go to lift the engine and the boom hits the hood. That is when I smack myself and have to start all over with removing the hood.