First Engine Drop

[p911sc]

I recently posted an ad about broken head studs on my 1983 911SC. I bought Wayne's Books and am ready to do the work. I have an engine stand and yoke and feel comfortable with the engine drop but have not found a good way to get the engine from a dolly up to the engine stand, aside from 3 or 4 guys and a lot of muscle. Has anyone come up with a cleaver way, using jacks or engine lifts to raise the engine. If you've used a lift and lift bar (as sold on Pelican), where are the connection points???Any suggestions would be most appreciated...
Rick

[diabolos88]

have a party and have some pelicans come out, supply the beer, pizza etc, Ill be doing same very soon

[ekessel]

I had good luck using chain at three points (both ends of the rear mount bar, and the front hook on the engine) and lifting from above. Don't use rope, since the hook on the front of the engine is sharp...... (don't ask how I know.....)

-Eric
90 C2

[Jim Sims]

Leave the rear engine mount attached (or reattach) and attach engine stand yoke to front (flywheel end) of engine. Put an eyebolt in each engine mount tube and attach a shackle to yoke; make a three-arm spreader and attach with drop chains to eyebolts and shackle and lift with engine hoist. Slide engine stand onto yoke and lower crane to transfer engine weight to stand.

[p911sc]

Brilliant. I had pictured the rear connection at the mounting bar but was looking to lift the engine to the yoke, rather than mounting the yoke while the engine was on the ground. That should do it.

Thanks for the quick replies.

Another question, when removing the studs, I will use a propane torch to heat the case and melt the locktite. I am concerned about overheating the case at the point of the flame. Is this really a concern or does the propane burn at a low enough temperature that I shouldn;t be concerned??

Rick

P.S. I think I will also take the advise on the beer and pizza.

[Jim Sims]

There are parts in the vicinity of the studs (like the through bolt o-rings) that heat could damage so I would first see if you can get the studs "moving" without heat with a good stud remover. Six weeks ago I helped a friend do this job and we used a cam type stud remover (Sears Craftsman) to remove the studs and a Snap-On collet type to install studs. We used a thread chasing tap (not a thread cutting tap) to clean out the tapped holes; one can get a set at Sears or buy the individual one you need from Snap-On. If you plan ahead, you do not have to remove the camshaft from the cam tower nor separate the cam tower from the heads.

[p911sc]

Jim,
Good advise.
Thank you.
Rick

[Mike Juzenas]

This is how I lifted my 993 engine...I used a load leveller (about $20) so I could balance the engine and some good chain on each end. The front is hooked through the engine mount and the back is hooked through the nice hook Porsche provides just behind the vent cover. On my engine the chain runs very close to the intake plumbing but it does clear. I am not sure about the SC but its likley to have less plumbing...

It helps that I have a 14" steel I beam in my shop to hang this stuff on...but you can use a cherry picker type device. I really don't like the idea of having four people pickup a heavy engine and can slide and move around...it sounds like an accident ready to happen.

To get the engine out I used the same idea and lifter the entire rear of the car off the ground nice and high to clear the body...so I did not have to remove the rear bumper or any baffles. Worked like a charm!

Oh its certainly possible to do without any helpers if you are so inclined...

Cheers,

Mike

[9dreizig]

I built a dolley with 2x4s 24x24in square that I put a piece of plywood over. It was high enough that I could put a jack under it with another 2x6 as a spacer and I could lift it all the way to the engine stand. Was actually quite easy.

[p911sc]

Nice set up MIke. I am trying to picture the SC engine, without all of the accessories and can't picture the hooks. From pictures, I can't see anything that looks like hooks. When I drop the engine and get the fuel injection/intake and fan shroud off, this may be more clear.

I 'm in the process of sizing up a dolley to receive the engine. I was planning on doing the exact same thing. Glad to hear that is worked so well. DId you use the 2x6 as a track to lift the wheels off the floor so that you could get the jack under the dolley or was this 2x6 between the dollet and the engine at the case joint/sump plate???

When you dropped the engine did you put it on the heat exchangers or support it under the case joint?
Rick

[9dreizig]

I"ll try to take some pics tomorrow. I actually didn't drop the engine as it came on a skid ( another story of getting it from skid to dolly LOL). It came resting on the heat exchangers however. The key was to have an engine stand that had wide legs so the dolley would slide in under it.
I used the 2x6 to go under the dolley and provide the extra height to reach the yoke mounting sleave.

[p911sc]

I think I can see what you mean. If you can post the pictures that would help.
Thnks again.
Rick

[Mike Juzenas]

I don't know if you can see this. I use a small piece of 3/4 plywood to span the heat exchanges, and then lower it onto my dolly that is made as a mobile base for my bandsaw. You can get those pretty much at any tool store. I cut out the member across the font of the dolly so I can get my large jack in to support the engine's centerline. In order to get enough height to clear my large jack I just a couple of 4x4's to space out the plywood off the dolly. It works great since it takes the minimum amount of space to pull the engine.out.




Another trick which I really like is, once the engine is down on the dolley, lift the engire rear of the car body up and over the engine...you can pull the engine out without worrying it will hit the rear valence etc.....works like a charm!

Cheers,

Mike

[p911sc]

Mike,
I'm building a dolley similar to yours.

I like your idea of lifting the car once the engine is out. THe way I figure it, I will need 26" + the height of the dolley (7") to clear the underside of the car. My Jack has a maximum height of 20". If I jack against the underside of the engine, I will have to lift the car in phases and remove the engine in phases. I think your idea of lifting the car over the engine will help this...How do you lift the car once the engine is down?

From the porsche users manual (that came with the car) it looks like they are saying that you can jack the car on an area right below the location that the torsion bar passes into the wheelwell.
It looks like this is the subframe to the car.
Rick

[Mike Juzenas]

I am having a real problem uploading pictures....the 100,000byte limit gets hit and at that resolution the pictures are crap. Funny the first picture came up fine but I tried to upload another that was larger than 2Mbytes...mabye I have been flagged as a "bad user"?

Anyways I have a steel I beam running across my shop. I simply put a 4x4 in the engine bay across the rear left and right frame rails and lift the rear of the car using a come-a-long mounted on a rolling hanger on the I-beam. So I drop the engine down onto the rolling stand, hook the rear of the car body onto the I beam, lift the rear of the car waaaaay up and pull the engine out.

I have hear of people using a cherry picker to lift the car rear up...no comment since I have not tried that.

Before I used this method I used a few 2x8's across the body just in front (towards the nose of the car) of the shift linkage and lifter the body up using a jack. I had to do it in phases like you because the jack's lift was too small. I do have a very large 3 ton jack that I use for the lift.

Cheers,

Mike

[p911sc]

Mike and Everyone,
thanks for the ideas.
Rick

[jass]

Above in Jim Sims reply he stated "If you plan ahead, you do not have to remove the camshaft from the cam tower nor separate the cam tower from the heads."

What is involved with this plan ahead and how is that done??

[p911sc]

Jass,
Somehow I missed your reply. My guess is that he means that if you are only looking to address the studs, which was my main issue, you can remove the cam housing and heads as a single piece. The reason that you remove the cam is that there are several bolts under the cam that connect the cam housing and the heads. I decided to remove and inspect the camshafts, rockers, and the heads, so I chose to remove each component piece by piece. I am glad I did, as one of the cams had pitted lobes that will require some machine work. I have also sent the heads out to a machine shop for new exhaust studs, inspection and cleaning.
Rick

[88-diamondblue]

Just a pallet to use with the lift. Works great with left, right, fore and aft tilt adjustments

[johncmng]

If I am removing just the motor and not the tranny, can I jack up the car as high as 88-Diamondblue?