How high will Car Need to be Jackstands to Remove Engine?

[IAN]

I have a 72 911 T and it seems like one of the places you could get hosed removing the engine would be if you don't get the car quite high enough on jackstands. This lack of height then prevents the engine from clearing the rear bumper when lowering/removing...

Any ideas on high the jack stands will need to be to accomplish this feat?

What is the best/easiest way to get the engine/transmission onto a furniture cart during these antics?

Thanks.

Ian

[masraum]

It seems like I've heard 30 or 36 inchs, but I suppose that depends on where you are measuring.

[Zeke]

The best way to do this is to put your 6 ton stands under the rear t-bar tubes as high as they will go and some more under the front suspension in the recommened place. The car shoud be relatively level when you begin work (IMO). You can buy extra high stands from our host, but not at the average FLAPS. And, the usual 2 1/2 ton shop quality (not those damn mini jacks) will only go so high anyway.

Yes, you can add boards to lift higher, but hold on. When you go to remove the motor, you have to be able to reach the bottom of the motor with your jack pad and whatever you decide to use to support the bottom of the engine case. You don't want to put your jack itself on a raised platform because you will want to roll the motor/jack on the floor. BTW, a smooth floor helps.

When you get the motor down and at rest, go to the front of the car and raise, remove stands and CAREFULLY lower to the ground on your front wheels. You are pivoting the car on the stands placed under the rear t-tubes, so do it slowly and watch for twisting he car! With the front end down, there will be ample room to slide the motor out from under the car. Most of the time w/o removing the valance or induction other than air filters. Early cars with MFI and carbs are a little different than mid year cars with the wrap around bumper, valance and CIS. Us early guys can quickly remove the licence panel. So, YMMV.

Above all, be careful and methodical. See the thead on cars falling off jacks and stands. Falling thread

[SpeedracerIndy]

With the rear bumper and valence off I think it's around 26". I jacked mine up about 12" with jack stands on the T-bar tubes then lowered the engine. When I had the engine on a furniture dolly, I jacked the car up with a long 2x4 under the pan up to about 36" just long enough to get the engine out, then put it back down.

[Zeke]

I guess what I was trying to say is that it is hard to get high enough with the commonly available home shop tools. But it's easy if you work the system a little.

I really don't think AutoZone wants to sell super tall jack stands unless they want to start supporting Darwinism.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I like the 2 jacks method. 1 jack at the rear firewall, the other on the motor/trans. You must use a true shop jack with wide front and rear casters of course.

Project 73 911 R/RS -- Week 13

[djmcmath]

I just did the deed, though I probably did it wrong.

1 - Pull the rear tires off.
2 - Slowly lower the whole car, engine included, until the engine is resting on a $20 furniture dolly from Home Depot.
3 - Pull the 4 motor/tranny mount bolts.
4 - Pick up the car -- very very very slowly. If you've done all the disconnecting correctly, the engine stays nearly on the dolly, and the car rises slowly around it. Lift it about one jackstand notch on each side each lift.

I had to pull my rear bumper off to get the engine all the way clear, though technically, I could have done what I needed to do with the engine still under the car.

Jackstands -- I used a set of super-biggy Truck/SUV-grade stands, with extra-big bases. My 6 ton stands weren't nearly high enough -- like 2" too short, even with the rear bumper off.

If I had it all to do over again, I might get one of those $100 motorcycle/SUV lifts to lower the engine out.

Dan

[Zeke]

If you can get one of these from Pelican, you can raise the car way high enough and the jack will still reach up to the bottom of the case.

[rcecale]

Perhaps this isn't the best way either, but when I dropped my engine a few months ago, I laid a 2 X 4 across the very back of the floor pan, where it starts to curve up, and jacked it from there. The pic below shows where, although I had to raise it a bit higher than is shown in the pic to roll the engine out.

Dan, here's a good shot of your (my) "$20.00 furniture dolly from Home Depot."



Randy

[Zeke]

I hate to say this, but poeple who use those little toy jacks are just asking for trouble. If you've been around as long as I have, you will have noticed that ratings for everthing from air compressors to jacks have been made greater, and yet the product is cheaper and smaller.

How can this be? 30 years ago, a 2 ton floor jack was a monster and it would lift a commercial truck. Today, you go down to the FLAPS and get a 2 1/2 ton jack for $99 and it struggles to lift a pick up. So don't for a minute believe that toy is a 1 1/2 ton jack.

I know, the motor is only 4xx lbs. But Kreeerist guys......oh well, it's your car, your shop and your ass. You do as you please.

[emcon5]

I do it in stages.

Jack up the car the a "working" height, and put on big-ass jackstands, at a low setting. It is high enough to get the wheels off, and work under comfortably.

Unhook everything, lower the engine to the ground on the cart.



Once it is safely on the ground, jack the car up enough to pull the engine out from underneath. Then lower the car back to the "working" height. That way it is only this high for a few minutes:



Tom

[Jay Auskin]

I have a '72T, and I use a pair of steel wheel ramps. I jacked the car up to get it onto the ramps, remove the rear valance, and you'll have plenty of room. I feel alot safer with the rear end on a stable pair of steel ramps. Jackstands up that high just make me feel uneasy. Oh yeah, I used a standard floor jack with some carpeting as padding. If you're using the motorcycle jack method, you might need a bit higher. BTW, on my second drop, I did it solo with the standard floor jack. No issues, and the engine was very balanced (with the trans).

[alan911]

What emcon and djmcmath said. I've done it twice by myself.

Lift the car up just enough to get the wheels off and disconect everything. At that point, drop the engine on the dolly. It's only a 6 to 8 inch drop if that and you don't need no stinken' weird-ass jack.

Then simply lift the car out of the way. Much, much easier without all the engine weight and a lot less work.

It's hard to believe and scary to think some guys have the car and engine, with all that weight 2 feet in the air. That's just nuts and very unsafe !

To re-install, shove the engine underneath and lower the car around it.

[rcecale]

I'm thinking the picture I posted may be causing some of you to cringe...sorry about that, but the pic is NOT indicative of how I performed the operation.

To clear things up, I did follow the path described by djmcmath. This was actually recommended to me by Ingo (Ischmitz) who recommended disconnecting everything but the 4 mount bolts, then lowering the car and settling the engine on the dolly. Then, once the weight of the engine is settled, raise the car. This is when the 2 X 4's across back of the floor pan come into play.

Sorry for the queasiness, fellas!

Randy

[Chuck Moreland]

Here's mine:



Definitely drop the engine before raising the car high. You'll need a jack that goes 20 inches or better, and normal tall jackstands.

2 jacks is very helpful, but if you make a dolly that allows the jack to roll in and out under it you can get away with one. You'll drop the engine unto the dolly, pull the jack and raise the car, then roll the engine out on the dolly.

[emcon5]

Originally posted by Chuck Moreland
Here's mine:

Chuck, think anyone will notice?



Tom

[Lukesportsman]

I just did this for my first time last weekend. One more reason to get an early car with removable license section. I simply put her on 6 ton stands with your standard lift jack at its top. Removed the air filter and dropped her down by an A/V jack. ( I really like my Sam's Club aluminum 35lb motorcycle jack $150 with rubber pads)

Thanks to this forum and a digital camera it only took two tries to get her back running today. Wire was loose on dizzy or she would have fired the first time and I hadn't change oil or a spark plug on her before this. Don't let the clutch job cost by a shop scare any of you away from trying this is you have reasonable skill. I find the Porsche to actually be reasonably easy to work on

[Randy Webb]

What is the advantage of a motorcycle jack?

What does it do - and coan somebody post a pic of one?

It looks like my days of renting a lift to pull the motor may be coming to an end. OTOH, I may not need to pull the motor again until I am n a nursing home. (wonder if they would have a problem with me using their drvieway?)

[emcon5]

Originally posted by Randy Webb
What does it do - and coan somebody post a pic of one?

[Randy Webb]

Thx - so the adv. is that it gives a nice flat area ofr the engine to rest on.