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If your treating this car as a donor, it's basically scrap after you're done? Maybe you don't need to lift the motor at all. Cut open or off the front of the car and wheel the motor out on dollies or drag it on a wood sled or whatever. Then pull the car out and move the motor to the back of the garage and put the car back in?

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
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I tried that with my '40 Ford flat head engine and instead of the engine going up the limb came down!

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"My junk is organized. At least is was when I put it wherever it is." -olrowdy
Completed building GSXR1000 CMC7, "Locouki"
Website: http://projekt.com/locouki/

My tree must have been bigger Maybe not, but I bet my engine was lighter.

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Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

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The flat head weighed 525# without the xmission.

[edit] I once removed a Renault Dauphine engine by hand. I started to disconnect things (exhaust pipe etc) and finally thought maybe I can get it out onto the fender. Then I said maybe I can grab the engine in a bear hug and put it on the work bench. Later I thought I must have been crazy to do that.

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"My junk is organized. At least is was when I put it wherever it is." -olrowdy
Completed building GSXR1000 CMC7, "Locouki"
Website: http://projekt.com/locouki/

My first engine-out was an 848 A series. I didn't have a lift and the engine coming out was scrap, so I removed it bit at a time, removing the gearbox in situ so I could lift out the bare short block by hand lol.

I think there were a few times after that where two of us lifted a whole A series lump(That includes the trans) out by hand.

But yeah, those A-series don't compete in weight with these engines you are all talking about

Go to jalopyjournal.com and search the forum for "Outdoor engine crane". There is a lot of great how-to on this forum for traditional hot rods.

Here is a stolen picture:

This isn't a bad idea at all. My only worry would be how well the plywood stood up to A 150lb engine lift + 500lbs of motor./trans HF's folding lift is on their website at $179, which is likely what the total cost of a wood gantry would be, possibly less. Anyone attempted the plywood trick with success?[/quote]

I'm late to the party, but figure'd I'd share.

I've used the plywood trick for my engine crane before. It works well, but you'll want to be using 3/4". Thin stuff won't do, you'll put wheels through it, unless you're willing to put down multiple sheets. Thinking about it, it might be cheaper and stronger to use 3 sheets of 7/16" OSB, depending on what 3/4 ply costs vs OSB. You may need help rolling it around (big pry bars, come-alongs, ratchet straps, small tractor, etc).

And engine cranes aren't just for engines in cars. I've used it to pull the 350 Chev / Velvet drive combo out of my boat, and that must weigh 900 lbs, with the crane fully extended. Or even limited to engines. I've used it to move 2 Bridgeport Milling Machines, Lathes, even to pull broken off fence posts out of the ground. A very useful piece of hardware. One of the Bridgeports was moved across my backyard using a pallet jack, garden tractor, engine lift, and 3 sheets of 3/4 ply, and that was probably 1500lbs of iron (head & turret top were off to "lighten" it).

JustDreamin