Engine stand/cart.

I built this the other evening. 3/16" 3" tube. 4" sch40 for the head.

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Mine will probably end up being a little overkill but that usually happens. I'd much rather know the limit is far more than what I have planned to put it through.
 
Found some locking casters rated at 275lbs. each. With 4 of them, a total capacity of 1100lbs. which should be enough.

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Those cheap casters really get a workout with a heavy engine. Reason I went with the 6" casters rated for 1275lbs each. Moves like butter.
 
I wanted around a 6" caster and was looking for some with a brake/lock but the only metal supply yard open near me didn't have any.

I don't plan on moving it very much, honestly. Mostly, it'll be just a stand while I remove the head and other accessories down to the shortblock. At that point, it won't move very far at all before it's lifted into truck to transport to a machine shop.
 
I didn't think about that. Certainly easily done if needed. I might do that just because. They could even be fixed.

Not bad looking welds for an amateur with a Harbor Freight welder, if I may say so myself.
 
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If you don't have the means to build your own stand, the harbor freight 2 ton stand holds no problem. Had my fully dressed duramax motor on it and there was zero flex. I welded a few bolts to the head to secure the load at angles. I may fab up a ratcheting chain crank to assist in rotating though.

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WUnderwood said:
No, don't sell yourself short, those are VERY good welds, sir

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Thank you, sir! It's nice to be able to crank the machine up and start laying down beads without much of a worry. Thinner gauge requires a lot more of your attention and speed.

mike diesel said:
If you don't have the means to build your own stand, the harbor freight 2 ton stand holds no problem. Had my fully dressed duramax motor on it and there was zero flex. I welded a few bolts to the head to secure the load at angles. I may fab up a ratcheting chain crank to assist in rotating though.

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I actually bought that engine stand along with a their 2-ton hoist and an 800lbs. transmission jack. Nice to hear that the stand holds up well. While I'm sure it will hold, I still wanted to build the cart to put the engine on during the first bit of disassembly. Once it's down to a short block, I'll work on mounting it on the HF stand. Knowing it'll be a b!tch to rotate on the stand, regardless of weight, is also why I'm doing this. I like the idea of adding the bolts to rotating head to help secure the load in any positions. I think I'll do the same as well. Not sure if I could trust the single pin that came with it. Not to mention, you can only lock it at certain degrees. Whereas, your idea, you can lock it in whatever position you want.

I also thought about welding a plate to the backside of the tube (where the supplied and too short of a handle slips in to rotate the mounting plate). That plate would have either a 1/2" or 3/4" square punched in the center of it to accept a breaker bar of either size. Aside from much more leverage from a longer bar, I'm hoping that would give me better control when it comes to rotating the engine. That's the idea, anyway. The picture in my head is like a spindle nut socket.

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That. Or should I just make this possible on the stand I'm building? It wouldn't be very hard to do but I'm also planning to build mounts that would capture the front of the block as well. If I do that, those mounts would be in the way of being able to rotate the engine. Unless I make the front mounts removable. It would be one less stand I have to store and I could return the HF stand and put that money towards something. I'm trying to consider all possibilities.
 
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I was able to find some more info on these particular casters if anybody was curious. Manufactured by DH Casters International (Ontario, Calif.), Model C-ML4P1PUS utilizes a non-marking solid polyurethane wheel and is rated for 275lbs. each.
 
Got some .375" flat bar stock cut to make motor mounts with. 3.5"x7" and 3"x5" plates.

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I built this. I like it. It's not for everyone. I like being able to sit a bare block on it and not remove it until after I've dyno'd the engine.

These are some old pictures. I've got a variety of different rear mounts for different bell housings, back plates, adapters, ect.

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That's awesome! Looks like the mounts are adjustable for various blocks. Nice work.

I plan on bolting the 3.5"x7" plates to the block where the OEM mounts go and the 3"x5" plates to the side at the front right behind the timing case. Adjacent to the 2 holes you used on yours. I also wanted to be able to remove the transmission adapter and other accessories without having mounts in the way.

I don't plan on rebuilding engines for a living so this is essentially gonna be a one-time use. I would consider selling it after getting my use out of it. Out of curiosity, I asked a local shop about powder coating. Estimate was a couple hundred dollars.
 
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Here's what I made. Used 3" x3" square tubing for the base. Also used 3" tubing for the post and then 2 1/2" pipe inside 3" for turning the motor. And for spinning the motor around I used an old gearbox reduction off an old set of tractor trailer landing gear. I also put bearings on the shaft going inside the 3" pipe to make it very smooth to turn.

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