engine removal- where to connect hoist?

[Roberte]

For more than 1 reason it is necessary to remove the engine of my BJ-7. Where do I attach the chains from the engine hoist to the motor?

Roberte

 

[BJ8Healeys]

Remove the head, which makes the load about 70 - 80 pounds lighter and gives access to the head studs. You can attach the lifting chains to the studs. The photo is a bit small for good detail and was more than 20 years ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy; but you can see the rods with circular hooks on the end that threaded into some of the holes in the head.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

We used the head studs too. We put short lengths of pipe on 2 studs so we could loop the chains at the base of the stud, then put a nut and washer on the top of the studs to hold the pipes down. This way, you're not putting side loads on the studs; they're pretty strong but I think you could still bend them if you lift from the top.

 

[Keith_M]

I've done this two ways: using the head studs and attaching chains to various bolt holes near the front and back. I think the latter was a better solution because it allowed me to tilt the engine. When using the head studs, the transmission was out of the car already, so I could lift straight up. Pictures below.

 

[HealeyRick]

I've used some BMC engine lift brackets attached to the long cylinder head studs that fasten the valve cover:

Depending on the width of the legs of your cherry picker, you may need to jack up the front wheels to be able to slide the picker back sufficiently. If you leave the trolley jack under the front crossmember you can then lower it when the engine clears and roll the car out from under. Be very careful, I had a friend drop his engine on the front of the shroud during removal. Not pretty.

Replacement is reverse of removal .... mostly.

 

[John Turney]

The last one I did, I used the long studs as described by Rick, and used the tilting tool from Moss as shown by Keith. Worked fine.

 

[Healey Nut]

Like this

 

[vette]

I'm pretty sure that the book discribes lifting the engine with the trans and od attached by attaching chains to just the two bolts protruding thru the valve cover. I was deathly afraid to do that. Just couldn't imagine all that weight hanging on those two bolts. I rigged it up by attaching four chains, 2 from the front, which one was attached to the front engine plate and one to a head bolt. The two rear chains were attached one to a rear head bolt and one to the rear plate at the starter location. I talked to Bruce Phillips at Healey Surgeons about it and he told me my way had the risk of breaking the front and rear engine plates because those pieces were not intended to angular stresses away from veritcal. He might be right but I liked my way better and that's the way I did it. I included a leveling device for front to back angulation and also "L" shaped brackets on the right side so that I also could tilt the assembly left to right if necessary. I requires alot of front to back angle to slide the whole thing in. I also jacked up the back end of the car to try to reduce the angle required with the engine crane. See pick.

 

[HealeyRick]

Funny how we all (myself included) get nervous about lifting from the two valve cover studs but when you look at the carburetor lift plate on my V8, it's just held on by those four carb mounting studs that go into an aluminum manifold and are a lot smaller than the Healey cylinder head studs. And big V8s have been swapped out with a carb plate for years.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

... big V8s have been swapped out with a carb plate for years.

Yep, but I'll bet a lot of the big V8s weigh less than a 3L AH engine with the gearbox and OD attached.

 

[red57]

Sorry guys but I think some are over-thinking this - see the Bentley book, page 32, figure A.2. and page 33, figure A.5. clearly shows and describes lifting the complete engine & gearbox by two 'suitable lifting brackets' attached to the two long rocker studs.

It's the only way I have ever done it and I've never had any trouble, nor have I heard of anyone having any trouble with this method.

It's less than 1000# hanging from two 3/8" studs.

I just googled tensile strengths and found that even 'grade 2' 3/8 have a proof load of 4250 for coarse thread and 4800 for fine thread and the tensile strength is 5750 coarse thread and 6500 fine thread. Should be enough.

The factory must have thought about liabilities when they told us how to do something even back then......

Dave

 

[vette]

Good show Red, but I have always had trouble following authority. But I do say you are right. And Bruce Phillips of Healey Surgeons, also a good authority, agrees with you not me. I did like my ability to control the left/right tilt. the assembly went in without a hitch. My research at the time said that the engine, trans, and OD combined weighs about 730 lbs. That alot more than most, if not all American V8s.

 

[Rob Glasgow]

I used the two long studs on the head. It did bend them a bit and I was apprehensive during the process but everything held. Both coming out and going in. Of course I had the benifit of having the front shroud removed this time. I did pull the engine using the same technique 45 years ago through the bonnet opening. It certainly is one of those moments that you're glad when it's done.

 

[Jack T]

I've used some BMC engine lift brackets attached to the long cylinder head studs that fasten the valve cover:

View attachment 50335

Depending on the width of the legs of your cherry picker, you may need to jack up the front wheels to be able to slide the picker back sufficiently. If you leave the trolley jack under the front crossmember you can then lower it when the engine clears and roll the car out from under. Be very careful, I had a friend drop his engine on the front of the shroud during removal. Not pretty.

View attachment 50336

Replacement is reverse of removal .... mostly.

View attachment 50337

So after you realized you put the wrong engine back in, did you have to do it all over again? :smile-new:

 

[Michael Oritt]

Lolol

 

[HealeyRick]

So after you realized you put the wrong engine back in, did you have to do it all over again? :smile-new:

Surprisingly, no.

[video=youtube;oSofUMrwQX0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=oSofUMrwQX0[/video]

 

[bob hughes]

Due to the height of my garage I had to remove the head first.

Then I used a couple of lifting straps, one around the pulley at the front and one around the flywheel at the rear. I biased the system so that the hook would be forward allowing the engine to tilt backwards, and that was it. I raised the engine and then pushed the car back and then mounted the engine onto a home made engine stand that had wheels.



Bob