After being trapped by the finger while pulling my engine apart I have decided that I am sick of working on 20 litre drums. I NEED an engine stand. I'd like to make my own and woolworths have donated the casters, but I would have to hire a welder and I dont have a vehicle that I can pick up lengths of RHS with.

Has anyone had any experience with generic engine stands? Are they any good? work with a vw engine? I was thinking I could buy a generic and one day convert it to VW only.

before I get beaten up for it, the wheels woolworths donated sat outside work for quite a few days. I rang them but they didnt want it enough obviously cos they never picked it up. Feering some little mongrel kid would come and push it into a car, I lost patience and removed it myself. Probably still an illegal act, but I dont think woolworths would have paid for the panel beating/spray painting and they were given a chance to come get it, and I didnt win the $500 reward.

Hi Amazer,
I see two problems with generic engine stands for VW use:
1. Their construction assumes you've got the engine hanging from a chain block; with the VW engine you'd have to work out how to get the engine up 1.5 m to the bolt-up plate
2. More seriously, there is no provision for splitting the case; the design assumes that everything can be attached/removed through the sump or through the bores.

I haven't seen a VW-specific stand, but I think it would be well up on my tools-for-Christmas list if it addressed those two limitations of the generics and accomodaated Type I and IV engines; we could probably find enough interest to get a "group-buy" from an engineering workshop.

hth

I've gone for a wander on the net in search of a good design :- not much luck however.

Bench-mount stand
http://store.cip1.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ACC-...
Rolling stand
http://store.cip1.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ACC-...
JC Whiteney version of bench stand
http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?Ntx=mode+ma...
One on the samba
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/index.mv?photo+200306210201528348 
A bench-mount on the samba
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/index.mv?photo+200308141702542698 
The Harborfreight version; at only USD 40!
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32915 

None of these seems to deal with the height or case-splitting problems, though one did have a flywheel lock.

I think I'm going to buy one like the harbourfreight one. Exactly the same but different. Its $89 and has 4 castors instead of 3, and is rated to 1250 lbs. more than enough for a type 4 engine. Even a V6 when Wes wears me down.

Theres no way to address the height problem. You will always need 2 people.
The splitting the case problem is simple. Once you get to that point you just unbolt one half of the case.

I guess I'm being overly idealist.

Even a generic stand is going to be more pleasant than 20 litre drums...

I just need to get some kind of chain block or pulley system happening in the roof of the garage to help me lift.

I dont know anyone in wollongong!

Well I'm a kid in a lollyshop money burning a hole in my pocket, im gonna get this one on my way home. Not gonna wait for any more opinions. Shimo reckons most of them dont work if the flywheels are on, but this one looks to me like it will be OK. Flywheel can go on last anyway.

I think even 20 litre drums would be better than the wheel ramp I use to support engines while working on them. I never got that far because I have no means of lifting motors.

I've been putting off buying/building an engine stand because, like modulus, I've been overly idealistic.

Chris, I think you're on the money. By the time the engine case needs to be split, the pistons, cylinders and heads are already off, so there's not a lot of weight left. Two bolts would possibly do it. Two bolts and half a bellhousing would be even better as it would help to prevent the bolts from twisting the flanges on the case.

I'd also prefer 4 castors over 2, but I'd put them in a 'U' configuration rather than a 'I' if you know what I mean. This is because when the legs are removed for storage (yeah, right! like we actually pack things away ever!), they would be two separate straight pieces rather than a 'T' piece (too difficult to store). A lot of engine cranes do it the same way.

The one Im getting is a U shape. with a castor at each corner. I like that Idea cos I can throw a metal tray across the bottom to catch the oil drips / dropped bits.

I've used 2 VW only ones and they both had 3 arms. They held both top bolts and 1 bottom. When it came time to split the case you just removed the one top bolt.

Had to send my perfectly good crank away to get it ground so that it matches the bearings. :cussing

Well, I got off my arse and made one about 5 years ago and have used it a few times since.

I have it dynabolted to a stump under my house at the moment but Ive had it mounted on a RHS frame before.

The trick is to get the two pieces of tube big enough. You cannot use small diameter stuff. This is big galve pipe, and the middle of a driveshaft for something I found. This allows you to spin the engine. I have built a type three engine on this from one casehalf to full tin, exhaust, carbs etc then get a suitable primed matey or two, undo the bolt holding the inner tube and slide it off. I wouldnt feel happy torquing the gland nut but everything else is a breeze. Turn it where you want.

If you weld it up, make sure the welder has the juice to get good penetration. It is going to be holding a whole lot of money of yours, suspended in the air.....

Triangulate.


Use an old case , bolt it up to the smaller RHS and use it as a jig to tack it all together. Weld it up in sections. Grint any suss welds out and do them again.

Nice simple design kkk. I like it. I could just about manage to put one of those together I think. :thumb

A couple questions though:
The mount bolts to the two bell-housing bolts on one case-half only? I'm assuming that the RHS seats along the mounting flange on the engine case to provide support over the whole 3-4"? Have you got any photos of it with the engine mounted?

It's nearly 11pm & too dark for photos. Similar to above but a bit flimsy. Works real well. Photo later.

I bought a vw specific bench stand for building motors and a normal 3 leg engine stand rated at 750lbs for test running before installing,i bolted a type 2 bellhousing to the stand and attached the starter motor,the engine test stand has a console with tach and oil temp and will have a cyl head temp soon,it also has a power on sw and starter button.Ile post pics on the weekend.:thumb

The case mounts on the two 'feet' that sticky out. I dont have any pics with a case half mounted on it. It is the bus now

make sure it bolts up flush and tight.

[Edited on 9-10-2003 by geodon]

I made a mount for it outside the garage too so that I can attach crankcases or trannies & hit them with a high pressure hot water cleaner. Thats a lifting bracket above it to which I attch a half ton block & tackle. I used those blue "self tapping" masonry bolts- just drill the hole & screw them directly into the brick. Inside I have a bolt pattern for the stand on my workbench & I hook the lifting gear to one of the beams directly overhead having 1st temporarily reinforced it with a pair of 3-4inch treated pine posts- one ecah side of the lifting point.

geodon,why is there grass under the stand???
there should be BIG puddles of OIL and everything should be dead within a 2-3m meter radius from degreasor and petrol

is at my house !

Hi

I have a German made head I got from Tooleys years ago and Leigh has used just swivel part in his shop bought stand and they have the same shank size. My unit has 3 legs, which is a good idea if you have Type 4 motor hanging, the 2 bolts let the case flex a bit. A guy at Boris day had a Matra one for $50.00, I missed it, Frank bought it.

1302Steve

I bought one from supercheap auto for $80 that is in the I config on metal casters (It packs away flat). If you ditch the mounts that come with it and re-drill the plate for the Type 1 case you can use it with the flywheel removed. I'm planning on making some arms to mount to the plate. Again I wouldnt torque the flywheel on a stand but on the floor with a long piece of 45 degree bar mounted on two of the clutch holes.

Cheers

Steve

Well I got it and I've assembled it in the lounge room. Very pretty ferrari red. What polish should I use on it?

Its a lot bigger here than it was in the shop. I've worked out what the 1250lb rating is in Kg's now. 560 odd. no wonder its big. What friggin engine weighs 500kgs! maybe I should have got the other one that was only rated to 500 odd lbs.

It was only $10 cheaper anyway.

Picture of my $80 stand from Supercheap thats been redrilled.