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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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Need advice:
Planning my engine swap, and accumulating tools. Picked up a standard chinese 2-ton cherry-picker hoist and brought it home. Guess I should have taken all the measurements first, but never guessed there might be a problem. From the front, with the ram right up against the bumper, the plumb center of the motor is STILL way too far back, even with the boom level/extended to the last/.5 ton position and the lifting chain shortened to the max. Will lifting forward of the plumb/gravity center work? Is side removal feasible (the hoist has front wheels that swivel)? Do I need a larger crane with a longer boom? This one was a pre-assembled floor model, and I might be able to return/exchange it yet.
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By Noob - 16 Years Ago
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If the tranny were left behind I would use three chains from the picker's hook... one left front and one right front (using head/exhaust manifold bolt locations), and then the last chain to either of the bellhousing bolt locations (as center mass as possible). This should keep the ass end of the motor from hanging too low. I dont know what this cantilevered weight will do to over-counterbalance the picker, so you might want to have a generously proportioned friend at the ready to ride. I've rarely used a picker, and prefer instead a chainfall hoit bridged between two ceiling joists... then I just roll the vehicle forwards/backward as needed for clearance. But that's just me. I'm sure others wiill offer additional advise. Cheers... Brian
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By bloodyknucklehill - 16 Years Ago
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when i have run into this problem i've done one of two things, first try seeing if you can get at it better from the side, if you can't you can get it out from the front with it off center with a load leveler and someone with some muscle to hold the engine back while you're lifting out of the engine compartment cause it's gonna want to swing forward.. also chock the wheels on the hoist because it's going to want to keep moving forward to center itself over the load and bouncing off of your bumper.. i hope that helps.. Edit: hope you understood that too.. i just read it and it confused me..  , i know what i was trying to say.. also a good way to get at it from the side would be to jack that side of the car up and remove the wheel, then secure that corner of the car on a jack-stand, it gives much more maneuverability cause now you don't have an entire wheel and tire in the way..
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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Should be just enough room from the side. I was worried that the motor might twist the trans. and damage something, since the plum center would move sideways as the boom is raised, if the wheels don't roll freely (at least I likely won't have to bother with removing the hood). Two jack stands under the frame sides & one under the opposite front corner should allow enough room to muscle the crane sideways. I'll need to measure distance from fender-to-ram with engine raised enough over the plumb center to clear. Wheel removed not a problem since I wanted to avoid the complication of the suspension relaxing-up when engine weight comes off anyway.
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By ecode ragtop - 16 Years Ago
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DANIEL, YOU ARE STILL GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE THE HOOD OFF, TO GET THE HEIGHT TO COME OVER THE FENDERS, I HAVE BUILT A LOT OF BIRDS AND I WOULD PULL THE HOOD AND RADIATOR AND BRING IT OUT THE FRONT, OVER THE NOSE PANEL AND NOT OVER THE FENDER. JUST MY THOUGHTS ON IT. TOM
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By Eddie Paskey - 16 Years Ago
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Daniel;; Had the same problem, went the a metal supplier and got a longer slide bar. YOU MUST BE CAREFUL-- the back end of the cherry picker will start to raise up.. had a couple 200 plus guys stand on the back of the hoist. Also used one of those engine levelers, whic really help!!! Don't try to pull trans at the same time.. Hope this helps. Also the measurement of the china sliding bar is smaller than what I could get so took a belt sander and dressed down the bar to fit, along with some grease. Good Luck God Bless Eddie
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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Tommy,
Good point. That was essentially my last unanswered question: How far forward does the motor have to come in order for the clutch to clear the trans. shaft and bell housing? If less than 10", then it should clear the hood when raised enough for the pan to clear when coming over the fender. If you pulled the engine & trans. together, then it goes without saying the hood would would have to go.
All the other key measurements appear to allow enough safe clearance with car jacked up just far enough to remove the wheel, and a 4 chain leveler attached directly from the boom link to ex. manifold bolts. Unless someone has a pertinent side-removal horror story to relate (?), it still looks like the only feasible, one-man method with my hoist.
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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P.S. I may have to use a bottle or scissor jack to support the trans. My floor jack likely won't clear the hoist leg.
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By Vic Correnti - 16 Years Ago
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I have been through this twice this year and I have pulled the motor from my 1955 T-Bird with a cherry picker from the side with the hood in place. I did not remove the transmission. I did use a engine load leveler to tip the motor. There appears that I could have even left the radiator in place but I did not.
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By DANIEL TINDER - 16 Years Ago
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Thanks Vic. It sure looked like it could be done, and now I know.
If the wheels roll freely when parallel to the boom, the hoist should self-center until all load is removed, after which I could then turn them 90 degrees and pull the motor forward.
Further investigation indicates that I should likely forget about using ANY jack under the tranny, and just install a temporary cross support between the frame rails instead, as moving the hoist/engine in & out will require more leg clearance.
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By Joe 5bird7 - 16 Years Ago
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I've pulled the engine in my 57 Bird twice....once from the front, once over the driver's side fender. I think over the fender is actually easier. I removed radiator and battery but not hood. Pullled engine only. Used cherry picker with levelor. If you do it this way, suggest you have boom as low as possible when you attach to engine as there's not much extra clearance over the fender. I also removed front tire/wheel to allow movement of the picker. Going back in with the engine was ok too. Did removal and install by myself without problems.
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By Doug T - 16 Years Ago
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I have blocked the tranny and bell housing in my bird in place by cutting a 2X3 and a block of wood to fit into the frame X member. Size the block of wood so that it is starting to take the load of the engine/trany assy. Then it is exactly in the right place when you replace the engine. If you are going to work on the motor anyhow you can pull the manifolds and heads before removing the block. Then you can lift the block higher with the cherry picker. Also the reduction in weight makes it a safer lift when you are out at the end of the boom.
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By bird55 - 16 Years Ago
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here are a couple more things to throw in.
I've always removed mine from the front AND always with the tranny. It seems like the same either way to me.
One person can remove the hood with the picker also.
And for the few extra inches you mentioned you can remove the front bumper and you're there.
Ideally for safety's sake I want to fab some extension legs that slide into the existing ones so I'll have more support. remember it is slightly higher over the fender and the car will follow you up.
BTW have you priced the tbird front panel or a fender lately? 
be careful.
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