Thread: Am I nuts???.

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Yeah, you're nuts. For the cost of a cherry picker, even renting one if you are really strapped, it's just not worth the possibility of having back problems for the rest of your life. As Rrumbler and others have said, it's not just the weight, it's the awkward position you have to lift from that can and probably will do damage to your back.

Thanks guys for the advise.As stated a short block with a wt of 400lbs is a deal breaker to hand lift it.Now if I could only get the seller on CL to get back to me,the cherry picker issue would be resolved.

I wouldn't say you're nuts, Gary, but to attempt to handle it that way wouldn't work unless you want to get a back like the one I have, then it still wouldn't work.

Beg, buy, borrow or steal a proper lift. Over my lovely wife's objections I bought one at Sam's a few years back. It wasn't expensive. I have since found a lot of uses for it besides hoisting engines.

An inspection of my magnificent body will reveal a sort of ugly scar on my left forearm I got when I decided to change an automatic transmission by myself without a transmission jack. Also, I'm short a piece of a finger I got while replacing some rear springs.

I still try some dumb things occasionally but I haven't repeated those two adventures.

Use the correct equipment!


Jim

A friend of ours once sold a complete flathead Ford to a big goomer. It was in the basement, and we were scratching our heads trying to figure the best way to get it up the stairs and out the door. The big guy grabbed it by the exhaust manifolds, heaved it up and walked to the stairs. "Open the door", he sez, without drawing a deep breath! He walked the sucker right out to his truck and dumped it in the back like a sack of groceries.
By the way, even if you use a picker, it still don't mean you're not nuts! Haha.

Can't you borrow a cherry picker from some one in the area? A broken body and back never are the same after lifting something to heavy, I know from experience.

I make mine (cherry picker) available to anyone in the area.

I persoally would not try it. BUT if you have to pick it up with a friend and put it in the back of a truck. Then bolt the engine stand to the block while it is hanging off the tailgate. Then just lift it to the ground with the stand already bolted up. Works purty good in a tight spot. But your back can cuase very bad pain it's not worth it.
Creep

Yepper guys,I know full well what a bad back is all about.I took a careen ending fall on the base of my spine crushing one of my dics at the GM engine plant at Tonn,NY.I have lived with that almost my whole life.(happened when I was only in my early 20's and I am now 62 yrs old)

So the deal I was working on in CL came threw.

A like new 1 ton(wanted a 2 ton,but what the heck) fold able leg cherry picker,750 lb four leg engine stand and a HF never used in the box item number 5402 load leveler.

All for only $130.00 bucks.

I think I made a pretty good deal.When things work out like this,it just seems it was meant to be.Kind of like someone above is looking out for me.

So now back to tearing down my V8 Ole Yellar engine to take it as a bare block to the machine shop with the crank,rod/pistons assemblies.Depending on the measurement of the bores,might make it a 383.Woo.woo!!!!.

Woo.woo!!!!. does that mean you hope it is bad?????Woo.woo!!!!

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Woo.woo!!!!. does that mean you hope it is bad?????Woo.woo!!!!

Nawwww.I just really like wrenching Jerry.We are hoping for a standard bore even through it is claimed to be a crate engine.Lots of them rebuilds where odd sizes like .040 over etc.In that case we will just freshen it up and buy a different top haft and cam.

Gary,

I'm with the others, get help or better yet, get a cherry picker. I myself could ( I think) at 67 still dead lift 200 lbs. but to hold it there while the bolts were tight, no way.

If you don't mind a trip down memory lane, one of my friends needed a Ford flat head block to replace the cracked block in his 46 ford (50 years ago), we went to the local WR/YD and found a complete engine, block, heads, internals, pan and intake. Did I mention my friend was an animal. He lifted the complete engine up to his chest, then 2 of us helped push it to the top of a 6' fence and we dropped it on the other side. The 3 of use went to the counter and bought maybe 8 used spark plugs, drove out to the side fence and loaded the engine into the trunk of my Moms' 53 Chrysler. Don't mean hijack but this thread brought back memorys.

Jack.

Originally Posted by Jack F

Gary,

I'm with the others, get help or better yet, get a cherry picker. I myself could ( I think) at 67 still dead lift 200 lbs. but to hold it there while the bolts were tight, no way.

Jack.

I think he's got it covered.

A like new 1 ton(wanted a 2 ton,but what the heck) fold able leg cherry picker,750 lb four leg engine stand and a HF never used in the box item number 5402 load leveler.

All for only $130.00 bucks.

Originally Posted by Jack F

Gary,

I'm with the others, get help or better yet, get a cherry picker. I myself could ( I think) at 67 still dead lift 200 lbs. but to hold it there while the bolts were tight, no way.

If you don't mind a trip down memory lane, one of my friends needed a Ford flat head block to replace the cracked block in his 46 ford (50 years ago), we went to the local WR/YD and found a complete engine, block, heads, internals, pan and intake. Did I mention my friend was an animal. He lifted the complete engine up to his chest, then 2 of us helped push it to the top of a 6' fence and we dropped it on the other side. The 3 of use went to the counter and bought maybe 8 used spark plugs, drove out to the side fence and loaded the engine into the trunk of my Moms' 53 Chrysler. Don't mean hijack but this thread brought back memorys.

Jack.

LOL-Jack,want a funny story???.I worked the dyno rm at the Chevy Tonn engine plant and they where having engines showing up missing.Well the head of the guards there told me they heard a story about 5 guys in a pick-up.That they fought hard to get this engine out a side door of the plant and down two sets of stairs.The guys in the pick-up where driving down river rd which is in front of the plant and is right next to the Niagara river and saw behind them some distance away the guard's Suburban loaded with guards.Now this all happened at night after dark.So the 5 guys pulled over and busted their hump to get the engine out of the truck and dumped it in the river.So the head of the guards asked around and found out who was in the guards truck that night.All the guards said they where going to get pizza for lunch and saw 5 guys on the side of the road and just went around them.One of the guards wanted to stop because he thought the 5 guys where broke down on the side of the road,but all the other guards stated they thought those guys where just "fishing".

Yeah-after that the engines stopped showing up missing.And no-it wasn't me,just passing on a funny story.

So guys,if the story is true and your into treasure hunting,somewhere near the Tonn,NY engine plant in the river is a tri-pot 427 aluminum head engine.It's the one missing from that day.Yeah it's been there for awhile.

[QUOTE=1gary;391558]Yepper guys,I know full well what a bad back is all about.I took a careen ending fall on the base of my spine crushing one of my dics at the GM engine plant at Tonn,NY.I have lived with that almost my whole life.(happened when I was only in my early 20's and I am now 62 yrs old)

Just exactly how many dics did you have anyway?