engine rebuild table

[kepperly]

Has any of our professional mechcanics built a "bench" for Porsche 6-cyl rebuilds? I am about to weld up my own with
enough support for the 911 motor, and bolt it to the floor. Has any of our member done this and what were your diminsions and what would you change know that you have used it. Does everyone use the five suppoty engine mount or is there something better.
Thanks


Keith Epperly

wichita PCA membership chaiman

[Rot 911]

To be honest I think the best thing to use for rebuilding the engine is the 5 arm yolk on a generic engine stand. You can rotate the engine to get at everything and it is at a good height to stand and work on the engine. I like using a stand because I can wheel the engine around when I need to.

[Tim Walsh]

I'll have to second that one. The generic engine stand + porsche yoke works the best and it's not worth the time to reengineer something new.

[kepperly]

Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, I had planned on building
a table to mount the 5-arm yoke to. I missed at a recent machine
shop liquidation a pattern table that had a machined cast
iron top (weighed almost 200lbs). I have an engine stand
and it used to scare the crap out of me when rebuilding my
fat block chevy. I just don't like the flex of the "SAMS" type
and wanted a more stable work station.

KEITH

[Doug Zielke]

That makes some sense, Keith. And I guess that's why Porsche also offers a bench-mounting fixture for the yoke.
Personally though, I liked the ability to walk right around the engine when on the engine stand.

When I first started work on the motor, I was a bit concerned that the stand (I bought a decent one) could handle the weight. But after I had torqued down those big cam nuts to the billion ft-lb spec, I didn't worry any more.

[fallonmi]

I had planned on doing the same thing you are talking about until I talked to a friend who had rebuilt his engine. He suggested going with the stand and a separate table.
I found I spent an significant amount of time working from the back of the engine (especially when attaching the injection). The stand allowed me to work from all sides, which was a plus. For the table, I bought a table top from MSC (www.mscdirect.com). I am sure McMaster-Carr or some other industrial supply company will probably have the same thing. The table top is real solid. I just bolted it to some saw horses. I wouldn't count on it to hold the entire engine, but it did just fine for laying everything out onto. In addition, when I was done, It was pretty easy to store.
Not sure if this helps, but just my personal experience.

[ChrisBennet]

Get the right engine stand, the 1000lb capacity one with 4 casters (not 2 caster and 2 normal wheels) and you won't have any tipping problems. With the induction off, I tip the engine up sideways and move it out of the way against the wall.
When the motor is closed up so contamination isn't an issue, I wheel the motor out near the garage door and work in the sunshine and fresh air.
-Chris

[David]

With a bench you would need to bolt it to the floor or wall since the engine is hanging off the table. With the stand, the cg of the engine is above the center of the four casters. I would worry more about bolts pulling out of unknown concrete or wood than I would worry about a four caster stand tipping over.

[kepperly]

After reveiwing my second post I see a mistake. Pattern table was
2000lbs not 200.

keith

[911pcars]

I'll probably be blasted by the engine mount purists (sorry Wayne), but I used a heavy duty, ball-bearing-supported lazy susan with a 3/4" plywood top; mostly for space savings as I didn't have any to spare in my engine "clean room". I assembled the engine on this on a corner table in my workspace all the way up to a long block configuration. This rig allows you to stand/sit in one place as you can swivel the engine around to where you want it. Engine parts and tools stay stay close at hand with plenty of horizontal table space. This also keeps the roll-away in one spot and avoids wasted motion. You can also position the engine on the flywheel end to access the other parts of the engine. Worked for me. I installed the heat exchangers, alternator, top shroud and intake parts after installing the engine as it lowers the minimum height the car must sit and makes the drivetrain lighter to maneuver. If you have CIS or later, install the induction before installing the engine.

I remember someone recently using a fork lift as an engine support platform; good for adjusting to an exact work height and quite portable, wouldn't you say?

More than one way to skin a cat
Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[Doug Zielke]

Forget the 'purists', Sherwood!
If it works for ya, then do it.

[ChrisBennet]

Sherwood,
Burn, burn you infidel dog!



Just kiddin'. The lazy susan work stand seems like a very clever idea.
-Chris

[911pcars]

I'm sure Wayne will have more to say on this when he returns.

Sherwood

[widebody911]

Am I the only one who saw "engine rebuild table" and mentally followed it with

SELECT parts from parts_bin where...