Engine Support Details

[SW SHO]

I followed Scotts build sheet to the tee:

I suppose a 4x4 would have worked too, but why question SDPATT?

I agree with Beth on the safety issue....better sturdy and holding rather that the engine in my lap!

Here, make fun of mine:

 

[sdpatt]

I used the wooden 2x4s because they were cheaper than the 4x4s and steel tubes. Not as strong, but I'll bet that each beam could support an easy 500 pounds without challenge. I tested them by standing in the center of each beam with my 180 pounds and realizing the beams didn't even acknowledge that I was there. With my body below that engine, I like that.

The total expenses for the support rig, including the lumber, chains, eye bolts and clevises was $28. They stand in my attic, ready for the next time I, or another local SHO owner, needs to hang his engine.

 

[jeffrey]

Hello

Would you like to perform these engine services on my 1994 MTX? I'll pay whatever you want!! A shop or dealer will probably never take the time to do the job right. let me know

 

[Bizzy]

That'll be a long drive to Texas, but you'd be getting the job done right that's for certain.

 

[jeffrey]

I wouldnt mind the drive...

 

[sdpatt]

So far, the record trek for my services has been by Adam Varney (ACV1081) from Waterloo, Iowa. I appreciate the confidence in my abilities.

 

[jeffrey]

That would be much closer for me....he has a shop?

 

[Bizzy]

No, what he means is that Adam Varney from Iowa drove down to Texas for him to do the work.

 

[jeffrey]

ahhhhh...awesome. We'll Ill be sure to contact Sdpatt when i need it all done. I only have 90k on it but it needs alot of work. I would like to make it like new again. Thanks bizzy.

 

[bolsterboy]

friends and i just tackled the clutch job, well not just its still in progress, but we only used one set and chained it to both works fine, pictures will be up as soon as they can be hosted, it is looking good just need the tob fork

 

[AREA 91]

Making a duplicate ASAP!

 

[pete c]

scott,

You are a frickin' genius. That is a brilliant device. If I could add 1 suggestion to anyone concerned with the strength, sandwich a piece of plywood, 1/2, 3/4, whatever, between the 2x4s. You might even find a scrap piece at home depot you could get for next to nothing. Glue and screw it all together. This will increase the strength and rigidity greatly.

 

[DHMag]

scott,

You are a frickin' genius. That is a brilliant device. If I could add 1 suggestion to anyone concerned with the strength, sandwich a piece of plywood, 1/2, 3/4, whatever, between the 2x4s. You might even find a scrap piece at home depot you could get for next to nothing. Glue and screw it all together. This will increase the strength and rigidity greatly.

itll also make it heavier and more difficult to manuveur onto and off the car. i kept mine as a 2 piece item (4 piece if you include the hood props). i built my own with a few modifications (some of us have hood struts Scott!). ive used it twice so far and it makes doing a clutch a breeze. MANY MANY Props to Scott !!

 

[Hack]

An alternative, and probably a cheaper one at that and quicker to build for those without a good set of woodshop tools, is the "Nick Chrimes" pipe support. Josh has had these plans up for years: http://www.shonutperformance.com/supportbeam.doc

I think Nick got the pipe and fittings from Home Depot at a cost of about $25. Hard to get wood for that price unless you have it lying around the yard.

I ended up building Nick's steel pipe design. It worked (or I should say is working as the trans and subframe are still out of the car) great!

The only note I would make on it is the cost of materials. IIRC (the receipts are not right in front of me at the moment) I ended up somewhere around $80 total. The smaller parts and pieces were purchased at the local small town "Do It Best" Hardware. Probably could have saved $10-$15 if I had purchased these parts at Home Depot or if I had gone to a plumbing supply place in or near Seattle. I would rather support the little guy, and I HATE Home Depot. I did have to buy the actual lengths of pipe from them though, as they are the only place in town that would thread the pipe ends for me.

Even with the additional cost, I am extremely pleased with it. I can break it down and put it in storage in case I ever need it again. Heck, maybe I can rent it out locally to recoup some of the expenditures!

 

[pete c]

itll also make it heavier and more difficult to manuveur onto and off the car. i kept mine as a 2 piece item (4 piece if you include the hood props). i built my own with a few modifications (some of us have hood struts Scott!). ive used it twice so far and it makes doing a clutch a breeze. MANY MANY Props to Scott !!

The added weight would be minimal compared to the rigidity it would add. Plywood is immensely strong when stood on edge, so long as it has something like a 2x4 to keep it from twisting. Actually, a lighter and stronger solution would be to use a single 2x4 sandwiched between 2 strips of plywood.

 

[DHMag]

The added weight would be minimal compared to the rigidity it would add. Plywood is immensely strong when stood on edge, so long as it has something like a 2x4 to keep it from twisting. Actually, a lighter and stronger solution would be to use a single 2x4 sandwiched between 2 strips of plywood.

id rather depend on the grain of 2 2x4s bolted together (or a single 4x4) than the bonding agent(i believe its formaldahyde [sp]) in plywood for rigidity.

with hardware and chain attached, each brace of mine weighs about 20 lbs.

 

[FAST4DR]

You can buy a transverse engine support off of ebay for $150 and I have seen a model exactly like it for $80. I couldn't find it, right now, but I have seen it on ebay before.

I just didn't want to take the time to get the wood, figure it out, etc. Easier to click buy-it-now and wait for it to come in the mail. Also, if you don't plan on using it again you can resell it to somebody and probably get most of your money back. Now that's cheap!

Will

 

[pete c]

id rather depend on the grain of 2 2x4s bolted together (or a single 4x4) than the bonding agent(i believe its formaldahyde [sp]) in plywood for rigidity.

with hardware and chain attached, each brace of mine weighs about 20 lbs.

Plywood is stronger because the layers alternate in grain direction. This produces great strength, stability and rigidity. A 2x4 board has all it's grain running the same way. This makes it more flexible. Bottom line is, scott's design without the plywood is plenty strong enough and whatever flex there is, is inconsequential, I guess. Maybe there is a structural engineer in da house that can give a better explanation of this or maybe even refute it.

Hey scott, you some kinda engineer, ain't ya?

When is somebody gonna do a carbon fiber one? That oughta be light enough.

 

[Shoaz]

The light/strong tradeoff is always there, and if it's strong enough to hold the engine safely (which is always the call of the guy under the engine), and it's light enough for whoever is using it to handle it sufficiently, then it's probably good enough.

Here's a pic of the steel braces that Tom Dooley (OffroadSHO) made out of scrap he had laying around. I think they've been used by several people (me included, as shown here) with good success. They're not feather light, but they're not hard to handle, either. They're certainly plenty strong to hold the motor up.



So there's all kinds of ways to solve this problem, and I think plenty of people have had success with Scott's wooden arrangement, the Harbor Freight brace that FAST4DR used, and this sort of steel thing that Tom built. So whether you're handy with wood, metal, or ordering online you should be able to get there from here.

BTW, the red strap clamps are to hold the tranny and allow it to be slowly dropped by one person. This makes a one-man clutch job pretty easy.

 

[DHMag]

The light/strong tradeoff is always there, and if it's strong enough to hold the engine safely (which is always the call of the guy under the engine), and it's light enough for whoever is using it to handle it sufficiently, then it's probably good enough.

Here's a pic of the steel braces that Tom Dooley (OffroadSHO) made out of scrap he had laying around. I think they've been used by several people (me included, as shown here) with good success. They're not feather light, but they're not hard to handle, either. They're certainly plenty strong to hold the motor up.



So there's all kinds of ways to solve this problem, and I think plenty of people have had success with Scott's wooden arrangement, the Harbor Freight brace that FAST4DR used, and this sort of steel thing that Tom built. So whether you're handy with wood, metal, or ordering online you should be able to get there from here.

BTW, the red strap clamps are to hold the tranny and allow it to be slowly dropped by one person. This makes a one-man clutch job pretty easy.

i agree..if it works for you, then it works for you. as the saying goes..."To Each Their Own."