Yoke or Adapter Plant for Engine stand

[gjmascoli]

NB: in thread title, Adapter PLATE, not Adapter Plant!

Hi folks, I posted this on the Engine Rebuild forum, but this seems to get a lot mor traffic here, so.....

First engine drop, trying to decide whether to buy a 5-arm yoke or the adaptor ring. Pricing seems to be similar, but the adapter ring seems to be properly engineered for a perrfect fit and to allow the maximum access. I'd really like to be able to mount the engine fully dressed and then:
- R&R blown air box
- install Carrera tensioners
- remove stock HX and install SSIs
- not remove the oil cooler or clutch

Which option allows me to this. I see a lot of threads where some of the yokes don't give enough clearance, whereas I should be able to fab the correct spacers for use with the adapter ring to enable all of this, but especially the HX work, I really want to do that standing up rather than under the car.

Advice?

[Bob Kontak]

I would advise you to paypal me a deposit and let me loan you the proper yolk for shipping cost only.

I bought mine in 97 and have been tripping over it ever since. :-)

Just a though. I have other rebuild tools as well and they sit in the box. I won't sell until my 911 is gone, which will be NEVER, but I don't mind helping out.

It's expensive to tool up.

[fanaudical]

I bought a "knock-off" engine yoke and that was a mistake. If I had to do it again, I would buy the adapter ring (it's cheaper than the P201 yoke and easier to store).

In my opinion, both the adapter ring and the P201 yoke have pretty equal access.

[gjmascoli]

Bob
I really appreciate that offer, but seeing as I have '76 911S, 110k miles, 2.7L with a mag case and unknown rebuild history, I'm probably going to need to have something kicking around forever! Thanks again, I might PM you about other loaner tools thought.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by gjmascoli

Thanks again, I might PM you about other loaner tools thought.

Cool beans.

Good luck on the rebuild and don't skimp on the critical stuff to fix the 2.7 case. You know that. :-)

Also, if you have never done the job, it's very do-able. It will just take wayyy longer than you think. If it doesn't, you are doing it wrong or you are very efficient.

Ax a lot of questions here and in the rebuilding forum.

Originally Posted by fanaudical

I would buy the adapter ring (it's cheaper than the P201 yoke and easier to store).

I like the adapter ring. Just looked it up.

[gjmascoli]

Well, this first engine drop is just to do the minor maintenance items. If no surprises when I pull the valve covers, I'll keep it simple because I want to drive in the spring! As of now I'm going with the adapter ring because it seems to be more usable compared to the eBay yokes. I don't want to splurge for the real-deal P-tool.

[gregwils]

I would either buy the ring adapter or a proper yoke. The correct yoke on Pelican is $270 vs the adapter ring at $145. The only real downside to the adapter ring is there is limited clearance for the clutch and PP, i.e., you can't change it on the stand. You need to plan in advance, I have the ring. You can see in the photo below there are only 3 or 4 inches between the case and stand when using the ring.

If you aren't in a hurry, you could keep your eyes on fleaBay for an adapter. I saw one 3 or 4 months ago for $50. I was going to buy it even though I had one because of the price, but passed. I don't recall a proper yoke on eBay, but sure they have been there.

[r-mm]

I bought the ebay yoke. It feels very sturdy on my 3.2 and the only thing I had to remove was the crossover pipe, which I would have removed anyway to make the HXs more manageable. Come to think of it I likely removed the flywheel before mounting the yoke. It fits perfectly into the harbor freight 750lb engine stand, which felt perfectly stable. Whole mess costs less than $150 delivered. For my money, hard to beat.

Porsche 911 VW 5 Arm Engine Stand Yoke "The Original" Best Quality Best Price | eBay

[kodioneill]

Spend the money for the factory yoke you'll not regret it. If you look around you can get one for $220.00 maybe free shipping and no tax. Nothing out there works better. The Ebay mock up is a piece of junk don't waste your money.

[allaircooled]

Is this one on ebay the correct one? ebay

[ChrisBennet]

Originally Posted by allaircooled

Is this one on ebay the correct one? ebay

Yes, that looks like the correct one.

The yokes used to be 4 arm and then they changed to 5 arm around the time of the 964 I think.

[gjmascoli]

Can't I simply use the proper diameter pipe and bolts and make the "arms" for the adapter plate sufficiently long to allow me to have access for R&R the clutch / pressure plate and anything else that the yoke arms are too short to allow access?

So far, from here and many other threads, I have read:
- the P201 yoke is perfect if you have the cash
- the eBay knock-off yokes are either "perfect" or "garbage", but adequate seems to be the general consensus
- nobody has offered anything negative about the Adapter Plate

Also, for all the input regarding the P201 vs the eBay yoke, can anyone tell us how they differ (actual dimensional differences would be great). Like, are the eBay arms 1" shorter than the P201 arms?

[Tom '74 911]

Originally Posted by gjmascoli

Also, for all the input regarding the P201 vs the eBay yoke, can anyone tell us how they differ (actual dimensional differences would be great).

I just responded to your similar thread in the engine rebuilding forum, but then saw this. I bought the eBay yolk first, but then sold it to buy the P201 yolk. The mounting flange on the P201 tool is machined to fit the case halves perfectly. The eBay yolk uses a flat piece of steel on the mating surface. In my experience, the eBay yolk would have required some grinding to make it fit well... I'm all for saving a buck when it makes sense, but take my & others advice - spring for the P201 yolk. You can always sell it when you're through - they go FAST in the classifieds.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by gjmascoli

… Also, for all the input regarding the P201 vs the eBay yoke, can anyone tell us how they differ (actual dimensional differences would be great). Like, are the eBay arms 1" shorter than the P201 arms?

I had order and received a 5 arm ebay version but in the process I got a very good deal on a used P201.

IIRC the big difference is amount of material. The flange is about 3 time thicker on the P201 and the arm tubing did not flare down at the welding point. It also has a groove that fit the case halves perfectly.

My $100 eBay version was bought by a Pelican who own a Porsche shop.

[fanaudical]

I have the same black e-bay yoke in the pic immediately above and used it to rebuild my 2.7. A couple of issues:

- I could not install it on the side with the oil cooler (didn't clear the oil cooler).

- I then installed it on the other side; this meant that I couldn't install the oil cross-over pipe (it interfered with the yoke) and subsequently couldn't install the exhaust while on the stand.

Maybe the best of both worlds is to buy the ebay yoke and the adapter plate; bolt the adapter plate to the ebay yoke. You then have adequate clutch installation clearance for lower cost than the P201 tool (but not by much).

[yelcab1]

I bought the factory yoke 20 years ago (expensive back then) and have not gotten rid of it even though I was Porscheless for a few years. It is worth it to buy and hang on to it.

[gjmascoli]

BTW, sorry for also posting this question on the Engine Rebuild forum, but if you have checked both, you'll see there is about 5X more activity here (excluding my posts)!

Still leaning towards the Adapter Plate and fab'd spacers.

[newms]

IMO the better non factory option:

Mainely Custom by Design

[VFR750]

Personally, the added cost of the proper p201 yoke is tiny to the cost of the engine. It is not a safety issue, but of quality and purpose. The p201 has the proper cutouts for the oil cooler and such. Why save bucks for a compromise? That was my logic. I'm going to have a 911 for a long time, might as well get the real thing. And not deal with the compromises.

Also, the p201 ring looks solid, appropriate for holding 500 lbs with 2 bolts.