I don't have even ground to work on. Even getting an engine out of the shed/garage pictured requires dropping down six inches to uneven concrete. I haven't so much as moved engines as dragged, cursed, and gasped for air. At home, my engine shed is out back with inclines across uneven ground and my garage is too small to do engine out of the car work. I have tried moving engines on a yard cart, but the engine starts to fall off and the cart wants to tip over. I can compensate, but the engine's bottom gets all scraped up moving to and from a jack and it's just a super pain in the rear.
I got this Horror Fright engine stand. It is pretty good, but the casters are only good for a level, hard, and smooth surface. Plus it will not serve as a test stand as is.
So far, I have added big wheels (fixed ones are solid and I have solids for the casters). The center casters remain such that the arms can still be lifted for storage. I still need to brace the caster risers. Next, I need to make an engine mount for work. I have the common EMPI et al flimsy one. I welded one to a tube to fit a cheaper HF stand. That works well, but the EMPI unit really is crappy as it bends from a 40HP (mainly at the engine mount tabs). I want to either add another arm to the EMPI or build one like this four arm mount from scratch.
Lacking a bender (and I doubt the HF units could bend repeatably or sharply), what would be a good source material? I was thinking of getting another cheap EMPI for an arm, perusing a junk yard, or finding an elbow like a weld el (I would use pipe fittings but they are cast iron).
As for engine testing, I plan to build a frame and mount a bell housing (already have!) directly to the stand with four bolts. I don't know whether to mount it low or high at the level of the existing receiver. I already want to make a low mount point for engine transport so that might be the better way to go.
I have not seen anyone post about using an engine stand for front beam work. I have a frame head that I plan to weld to a tube to fit in the receiver.
Another issue is the angled receiver. I guess they made it that way to compensate for loaded deflection and maybe for safety to keep the engine from trying to pull out. I put a tube in it and sat over the casters. It was hard to do alone, but a level on the receiver showed very little deflection. I weigh 145#. Another 100# for an engine yields two times very little deflection which is still not as much as this thing is angled. I am thinking about replacing the vertical post bolts with welds when I build the frame and decreasing the angle. Does anyone have any input on this angle? Is it ok to make horizontal?
