Painting Big Blocks at Tonawanda *NM*

[Joseph T.]

[Wayne K.]

Lot of horses hanging from those meat hooks. *NM*

[Brandon Metzger]

What are the Hooks attached to?

Hello all,
It looks like the rings are bolted to the intake manifold where the carb would be bolted on. Is this correct? I have moved my engine a few times durring my frame off Restoration and I did not think about using the carb bolt holes to bolt on the engine lift. This would make things a bit easier.

Along with this, the "engine lift brackets" are those two brackets realy strong enough to hold up a BB?

Regards,
Brandon

[Joseph T.]

Re: What are the Hooks attached to?

Brandon..engines were test run by putting liquid fuel down the intake..before the carb was installed..that allows for an intake bracket to be used for conveyor movement of the engine assemblies..

I have never used the intake bracket for engine removal..but these bracket plates are sold for this very purpose by any number of parts houses.

I was always afraid of ruining the intake...however it seems like a better center of gravity location.

[Tony H.]

Re: What are the Hooks attached to?

Yes, the brackets really are strong enough to lift a big block.

[Brandon Metzger]

Re: What are the Hooks attached to?

Joe,
When I saw the picture I said..wow that makes a whole lot more sense than what I have been doing. This is how I think I will lift the engine back into the frame.

Brandon

[Joseph T.]

Re: What are the Hooks attached to?

Seems to me like Corvette Central sells these intake engine lift brackets..but if not..one of the high performance aftermarket advertisers will I'm sure.

[Terry M.]

Engine Hooks

Just passing on my experiences here (as I did at least once before).
When rebuilding the engine (454) and transmission (M40 or TH400) in the infamous (now gone) orange Suburban, I placed the engine and transmission assembly (complete with fluids, exhaust manifolds, and accessory brackets) into the truck using a carburetor flange lifting bracket. It was a high lift to get it over the radiator support in that truck even though the truck was lowered three inches. I had to tilt it a quite an angle to get the transmission below the dash.
On start-up the intake manifold was seeping coolant. I re-torqued the intake manifold bolts and all was well for another 120 K miles.
Would I do that again? -- NO WAY. Do I think I was lucky? YOU BET!
Most of the C3 Corvettes have two engine lifting brackets on the engine, and I believe those were used to move the completed or almost completed engine at the assembly plant. I would use those, even if I had to put them on and then remove them after the install.
Of course it is your car, and you may do whatever you wish.

[John H.]

Re: What are the Hooks attached to?

The car assembly plants (especially multi-car-line plants that used more than one Division's engines) used an amazing proliferation of engine hooks to hang engines from on the engine dress line prior to 1968, many of which grabbed the engines under the exhaust manifolds (see left side of photo); the release of the engine lift hooks beginning in 1968 substantially reduced the number of hooks the plant's millwrights had to fabricate.

The engine plants hot-tested the engine with natural gas, with an adapter that clamped to the carb pad on the intake manifold; carburetors were installed at the car assembly plants.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Engine Hooks

The Suburban is gone???

You can't say you didn't get any use out of it.

Patrick

[Duke W.]

Re: Engine Hooks

I wouldn't be too concerned using a manifold flange adaptor to lift an engine/trans with a cast iron manifold. If the total weight it about 1000 pounds that's only 250 pounds per 5/16" stud, which isn't much load. Of course, you want to make sure the nuts that secure the adaptor are snug so as to avoid placing a bending load on the studs. Bending loads on studs/bolts are BAD NEWS! They should only be loaded in tension.

I might be a little more concerned with aluminum - risk of pulling a stud out of the manifold, but it's probably just paranoia on my part.

If the plant handing equipment used a manifold flange adapter to lift them, I don't thinnk it would be a problem in our garages, even though it might look a little spindly.

Duke

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Hooks

That was exactly the rational about loading that I used before I lifted the assembly. And in the case I was working on the intake was iron. I think the load stretched the intake manifold fasteners enough to cause the intake to leak slightly. Given the subsequent performance, the re-tightening was adequate. The thought of the intake fasteners stretching doesn't give me any warm fuzzies.

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Hooks

I have no complaints about its performance. I did get my use out of it. The engine and transmission are destined for a 1969 Chevelle SS convertible -- after rebuild of course.

[Duke W.]

Re: Engine Hooks

I don't think your coolant leak was caused by lifting the engine by the manifold flange.

Say the yield stress of a 5/16" Grade 5 fastener is 40 Ksi. The area is .0767 sq. in. so the load to achieve yield is about 3000 pounds or 12,000 pounds for four.

If you just snug the nuts on the studs, they will hardly be stressed from the combination of clamping force and engine weight, and the inlet manifold spreads the load out over six 3/8" bolts to the heads.

Duke

[Patrick H.]

Re: Engine Hooks

And how many projects down the road is the Chevelle?
You figure that with so many projects undone, you'll have to live another 20 years to finish them so you're pretty safe, right?

I'm jealous. That's the one A body I'd really love to own - a 69 Chevelle SS convertible. Heck, I'd even take a plain 69 Chevelle or Malibu. I bought the Cutlass after looking a few years for the right Chevelle and not finding one.

Patrick