attaching an engine hoist to an inline 6

[cell]

I have everthing but the tranny and engine mounts detached from my 250 inline 6, and I am going to pull this sucker out Sunday morning and start tearing it apart.

However, I am wondering what to attach the load leveler's chains to? My Hayne's auto repair manual leaves that bit of info conspicuously absent.

This site suggests removing the valve cover and attaching the chains to a couple of the head bolts.

Also, Hayne's recommends having the truck up on jack stand while pulling the engine. It seems like this just means I would have to lift the engine that much higher to clear the truck, and I am not too comfortable with the idea of a 500 lb engine up that high in the air. Is there any reason to do this?

[bigvinnie]

head bolts are the way to go... no need to jack it up other than to have a look under while you're lifting

[Brad]

Okay, I'm going by memory, but I don't think you HAVE to take the valve cover off to attach chains to. I think there are some holes in the side-front and back that you can put bolts into. Just make sure you get plenty of thread in the holes and use grade 8 bolts so that nothing breaks. Also, you DO NOT need to put your truck on jack stands to pull the engine. I have no idea why they say this! Good luck.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Pulling the valve cover will keep it from getting dinged by the chains, of course you have to watch out for stress on the rocker arms -- this is assuming you are keeping the L6 or intend to rebuild it and not just junk it for a V-thing.
On the front I use one of the 3/8-16 UNC accessory bolt holes on the passenger side of the head. On the driver's side you need to put a long bolt into the #7 manifold hole at the rear.
Eastwood sells some fancy anodized bolt-on tabs w/ a 1/2" hole on the narrow end and a 1" hole for a chain or quick link on the top. They are about 5" long and have a joggled angle to offset them away from the motor. I paid about $10 bucks for a pair. Handy if you're putting in a freshly rebuilt L6 and don't want to scratch any paint.
Jacking the truck up on stands may give you easier access to dissassembling the lower motor mounts, transmission mounts, drive shaft(s) etc. If height is critical, you can always let air out of the front tires after making the disconnects. Old shadetree trick.

[shelby987]

I have one sitting in my garage right now, I don't have a load leveler hooked to it, but the PO loaded it with a steel braided cable bolted to the exhaust manifold bolt holes, and....gosh, some other location on the opposite side....maybe I should double check where that bolt is??
Anyway, that worked for me, but I don't know if you will be loading with or without exhaust attached.

[shifty]

If you want, look at my picture gallery for reference. A link is in my signature. I have two different sets of pictures showing an inline pull:

This one:
http://satellitehead.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=3

And this one:
http://satellitehead.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=6

It also shows dropping them back in. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask, I'll try to pop in and answer.

[cell]

Thanks for all the help, guys. I am so grateful to have a community like this.

I decided to create two wire rope harnesses and bolt them to the head using grade 8 bolts which were an inch longer than the original head bolts.

here are some pics:



I was hoping to have the engine pulled by today. I am so close! All that is left is to remove the hood, engine mount bolts, and engine-bellhousing bolts.

I'll have a huge post sometime early this week with tons of photos. I am so psyched!

['68OrangeSunshine]

I think the '67 Chevy Truck Chassis Service Manual shows a special tool: it's a set of ringbolts [1/2-13 unc] w/ attached chains. Totally unobtainable now. Nice to see you didn't saddle a dead horse on your crosbies.
Good Luck.

[cell]

Heh, yeah I came across that dead horse mnemonic while reading how to work with wire rope on the internet. Easy to remember that way.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Good luck with your rebuild. I liked your blog + pix. "The 12 Port News" -- the official journal of Inliners International ran a tech article about a sidesaddle engine mount for the "late L6." [By 'late' they mean '63-'84, since a lot of those oldtimers run the 235/261 L6s]. It bolts into the 3 engine mount holes in either side and allows the user to spin the block from the middle rather than rotating from the end. The main advantage is balance. L6s are long and made of heavy cast iron. They are longer than the more common V8s the engine stand was designed for. It can get nose heavy and "tippy" especially nearer final assembly when a lot more heavy stuff is bolted on. We used a 2000 lb Harbor Freight stand. [ I have to R&R a 454 in the future] It has 2 legs in front. We had to counterbalance the base end with a couple of ingots of pig iron, after it got a little tippy on us when torqueing down the 292's head. The side mount rig shifts the CG aft and is more stable theoretically.
You might try searching on www.inliners.org about it.

[sixpac]

Pulling seemed easy enough, but I'm concerned about loosening head bolts after a rebuild. Is this the way the hoists are attached for reinstall?

[shifty]

The thread holes for the bellhousing are threaded all the way through so you can use the backside of these holes to bolt up to. I then bolt up on the passenger side to the ground strap hole (or just above it where the A/C compressor would bolt up, I think) and throw another bolt on the opposite side of the head where the manifold would normally bolt.

Be sure to leave the valve cover off or you might bend it. You can toss a towel over the cover and it will protect it.