1978 SC Engine Weight / Engine Stand

[dc914guy]

Does anyone know about how much your basic 1978 911sc engine weighs? I'm looking for an engine stand to do my rebuild on, and I found a nice one that folds up for easy storage, but it only holds 750lbs. Will that be enough to support the engine + any forces put on the motor while rebuilding it? Or should I look for something stronger?

Thanks,
~Eric

[Tim Walsh]

A 3.2 Carrera engine weighs just under 500 pounds so a 3.0 should weigh just less than that.

[MotoSook]

I recall the SC engine is about 440lbs. I bought a Harbor Freight 1000lbs stand for less than 50 bucks. 1.5 safety margin (don't assume the stand mfg use 1.5 or that the stand really does have 1.5 safety margin). More is better, but the750lbs stand should be fine.

[1fastredsc]

I believe 438 with all the accessories attatched was what was quoted a while back.

[Superman]

I've looked at the 750-lb units and also the 1000 and 2000 units. I like the over-design idea. The 750 units looked wimpy and the 1000 units were just a little more money.

[Rot 911]

I've got a 1000 lb stand and I still get nervous when my engine is just hanging on it. When the engine is fully assembled and on the stand I always wedge a 2x4 under the engine when I am not working on it.

[RarlyL8]

I've had a fully dressed California smogged 930 engine on my 750lb stand. Engine weighed 530+ pounds. It was stored for many months on this stand as well with a 4x4 holding up the front of the engine. Yes I was a bit nervous about it and very careful when moving the engine/stand around.

[aigel]

Get the stand with 4 wheels and get the one that has an U shaped bottom portion. The wheels are in the four corners of the U. Don't get the I shaped job. The center of the I will flex and it won't be as stable. Also, if you put an oil dripping pan underneath, the U is more convenient.

George

[targa80]

I have the 1000 LBs Harbor Freight engine stand. I had to drill holes in the mounting brackets to fit to the 3.0L engine. It worked great with the modified mounting bracket. The only problem I had was when I installed the heat exchangers I could no longer rotate the motor 360 degrees . The air duct outlets would hit the support stand if I tried to rotate the engine to far. This was not a real problem since the heat exchangers and muffler were the last tems I installed. If I remember correctly I bought the stand on sale for $34.00.

[TedSlick]

Targa80,

Do you have a pic or two of your engine on stand setup?

[targa80]

TedSlick:

Yes, I do have some pic's and will post them later tonight.

[chrisp]

I am thinking of doing some external engine work this winter. I want to drop the motor and then put it in the back of my truck and take it somewhere where there's space to work on it.

It's seems like the sort of thing that I want to map out the steps in my head before I get stuck at any given step in the process. Let's assume I can drop the engine. How do I get it up to truck level. Do I have to buy/borrow a lift or have you guys come up with other ideas and/or ways to do this?

[RickM]

There are some interesting previous posts on this very subject. Typically from members who upgraded to 3.6s and went to pick up.

If I recall correctly someone used a wrought iron railing as a ramp up into a pick-up truck. Heh heh

[Shuie]

Just buy some beer for your neighbors and ask them to help you lift it

If you dont have neighbors, call a tool rental shop. Local one here will rent a hoist for $30 a day.

[targa80]

TedSlick:

Here are some photos of the engine stand and a close up of the mod to the engine mount bracket. The comealong was hooked up because I was getting ready to take the motor off of the stand.

[TedSlick]

Awesome...thanks for posting those. Now I get whatcha did. Always interested in workable alternative methods here.

Questions. So, let's say you used the $300 'real deal' adapter. Would that have avoided the conflict you experienced with the exhaust? Do ya think this will work for the 3.2?

[speeder]

I admire Pat's ingenuity, (the 911 yoke is pretty expensive), but the "official" yoke is the ticket. You can spin the motor w/ everything on it including clutch, install clutch on it, lock flywheel on it, and disassemble a 911 motor on it down to splitting the case+ reassemble the case halves on it. It only attaches to the right (passenger) side, which is the side that you lay the crank, oil pump and intermediate shaft into. It's the shiznik.

[speeder]

And don't mess around w/ anything less than a 1000 lb. stand. They are dirt cheap at any place that sells "made in China" tools, and the critical thing is not absolute weight capacity, but stability. Stability is the name of the game w/ these things. Good luck!

[TedSlick]

Thanks for posting, Speeder.

I'd love to have one of those adapters. No doubt folks tend to explore possible alternatives due to the cost vs number of times it's actually put to use. Any sources for these used? I noticed the NoVa guys have a cooperative share program. No such program in so.Cal?

[targa80]

I was able to do all the major engine work on the stand with no problems. Granted, the heat exchangers were the last part installed and the rotation was restricted due to the air duct line hitting the vertical support post. I installed the clutch and flywheel after the engine was off the stand and sitting on a dolly. I looked at the cost of the 911 Yoke and could not justify the expense for a one time use (hopefully). My setup was a jerry rig that worked very well.