Has anyone here used one of those EFI-specific engine lift plates that attaches to the lower intake? I'm thinking about using one to install my engine and AOD tranny in my car. My concern is whether I'd be asking for trouble, if I relied on my GT-40 lower intake to support the weight (however briefly) of my engine and tranny (since they'd be bolted together) for installation in my car.
Anyone used one of these plates to do this before? If I could use one of those plates, I wouldn't risk scratching my valve covers and I'd be able to lower the engine and tranny in nice and straight, without any leaning. That would be really nice. I'd be remiss if I didn't admit that the thought of the intake letting go, causing the engine and tranny to crash on the floor, or my car keeps me up at night!
Give it a try? Don't even consider it? What do you think?
well that the only way i could get the 5.0 out and back in on my mother E150.
your lucky there six bolts on the EFI lift plate. heck for years! i would lift all my carb complete engines(big and small blocks) with tranny with a plate bolted down where the carb bolts down. there's only 4 of those small bolts!
i know of one junk yard that take a one strap and run it around and under where the upper intake and EGR PLATE. then lift the 5.0 out of there engine bay's and carry it across there yard to put in on there shelf.
so go ahead. get one but make sure it one of those that has more than one hole for your hook, so that way you can adjusted it for when you have a tranny on your engine or not.
I can only imagine how much a 460, with a C6 bolted to it would weigh. THAT'S A LOT OF WEIGHT! Wow!
yep, still have the plate one my shelf. my grandpa made .
i forgot to say . make sure you use good grade of bolts on the plate to lower intake.
(not that cheep stuff the ford used to bolt the upper and lower intake together)
Grade 8's all the way! I've seen first-hand what happens when you use cheap bolts to do that kind of thing. Not good!
I hate seeing this done,, and Ive done it even on the carb intakes.
the last three motors, i just hook into the heads front and rear.
they work great, best $55 I ever spent. I used the summit one. Thats a 408w stroker, steel bell, tremec 3550, headers, accessories (a/c ,p/s, alt) everything. I did have to take the shifter off it wouldn't pass through.
That's a pretty convincing picture Bob. You've sold me on it. If your intake could handle all of that weight, I shouldn't have any problems. I'm suprised you were able to leave your long-tubes bolted up to your engine when you put your engine and tranny into the car. That HAD to make things really easy for you. Great job.
I had to unbolt the drive side header to get it around the steering and the shifter didn't fit either. Other than that engine and tranny went in nicely and I didn't even have to lay under the car.
Just wondering, do you think you could have left the driver's side header bolted up to the engine if you would have removed the steering shaft?
Keep in mind four 1/4" Grade 5 screws can support ~12,000 lb of tensile loading before yielding.
Four 5/16" Grade 5 screws will get ~19,000 lb of tensile loading before yielding.
Six of the above bolts takes you to ~28,000 lb.
I wouldn't worry about the bolts breaking.
You do mean pull strength, don't you?
the grade bolt isnt really the issue, its the aluminum.
BOB
Now i know where my leaf blower went!! Ive been looking for mine.
Don't think so.
If you get enough threads engaged, you don't have to worry about the parent material, even if it is Aluminum.
If its not pull , is it sideways? , I seen 5's bend and 8's snap.
Thats real world use.
The figures I posted are just theoretically what they could withstand in tension. With a parent material the same strength of the fastener, you need ~1D of thread engagement to keep the fastener from pulling out from the parent material (stripping the threads). If the parent material is half as strong as the fastener, you need ~2D engagement. 1/3 strength, ~3D - etc...
If you don't properly torque the fasteners before lifting or use some kind of eye that leaves a portion of the fastener unsupported, you will reduce the load capacity.
I never had any problems.. I used all thread ( Cheap all thread) and cheap nuts through a tiny chain and had no issues at all...
not yet! sorry my life worth more than cheap nuts through a tiny chain !