Engine Hoist Too Short

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

What do you do when your engine hoist is too short to reach the intake? I bought a 1 ton engine hoist today and the damn thing is too short to reach the intake lift plate. Is there something I am missing? There is no way to remove the front clip. I am doing all of this by myself. The lift chain is about 5 inches short from the side, even shorter from the front of the car. Here are some pics. Will an engine load leveler give me any length?

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/10/EngineHoist002-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/10/EngineHoist003-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/10/EngineHoist001-1.jpg

What do I do? I guess I just wasted $130. Sometimes I wish I would get hit by a truck or something.

[Rhino]

I've never pulled an engine with the hoist to the side such as that. I have what appears to be a similar designed hoist. It clears the front no problem. Have you approached it from a different angle?
If that's not a possibility, how about fabricating a new, longer arm extension? The few inches you're lacking shouldn't cause too much trouble.

EDIT: Otherwise, I've pulled engines a few times by running a chain across the engine. One bolt in one of the accessory mounts, then across the engine in the back of the head. That will give you a little more leeway. If you do something like that, be ready for the engine to swing hard toward the hoist once it comes off the mounts.

[19sixtynine]

That looks like the Harbor Freight engine hoist that I have. If so, i've used it to pull the small block out of my 69 Camaro and the big block out of the donor 1979 GMC pickup I bought and had no issues with clearance when pulling from the front, I never tried pulling from the side though....is there a reason to pull from the side versus the front?

[MarkM66]

I guess there's a space issue as to why you're not using it the normal way? As in, from the front?

You don't even have the legs of that hoist down, it's going to tip over when you get some weight on it.

Jack the car up some, put it on jackstands, put the legs of the hoist down, and extend the arm to where it needs to be. And commence pulling the engine.

[Twentyover]

the ram should drop into the cylinder, pitching the arm down like 45-60 degrees. If it doesn't drop into the cylinder, the shaft is bent or?

[gkring]

Obviously put the legs down. I would hook it from the front using a chain across the heads diagonally, knowing it was going to swing forward as it came off the mounts. Make sure the radiator is out when you do this. You can also cheat it a little and drill another hole a little closer to the end to get a few more inches. That hoist looks a little smaller than most. I wouldn't try to pull the motor and trans together at that setting.

[Chicken Coupe]

Not trying to be a wise guy at all, but seriously if you can't figure out how to do this you really out to stop and get some help before you go any further.

[David Pozzi]

Exchange it for a bigger hoist, that one looks too small.

[Vegas69]

It's the same hoist I used on my 69...you must be at the front of the car.

[mc84_zz4]

Raise the car to let the lift get further under the car.

[dropit69]

like everyone said put the legs down and go from the front of vehicle..ive pulled many this way and that hoist will work you will prolly even have enough room to push the beam into the next weight class slot..

[rixtrix1]

Load leveler won't give any more length. Top beam should reach out almost as far as the bottom leg extensions when they're down. Are there multiple holes in the sliding beam? just some thoughts.

[nullshine]

the ram should drop into the cylinder, pitching the arm down like 45-60 degrees. If it doesn't drop into the cylinder, the shaft is bent or?

X2. There should be a release valve at the base of the bottle jack that will drop the arm down some more. Check the instructions sitting on your fender for its location. You may need to apply some weight to the crane's arm to get it to drop once the release valve has been opened, especially since it's new, sometimes they get a bit sticky when new. There's lots of chrome showing on that cylinder shaft, it should be able to collapse down until the painted end of the shaft lines up with the paint on the body of the bottle jack. Should give you plenty of room to work with.



What do I do? I guess I just wasted $130. Sometimes I wish I would get hit by a truck or something.

If you try lift that engine out without the legs on the ground you're gonna get your wish!
Calm down, have a look over your instructions, and be careful. Consider the whole process, from lifting the engine out of the engine bay, to getting the engine on the ground. And yes, definitely lift from the front! Let us know how it goes... :fingersx:

[neki67]

And take of the hood before you start lifting . . . .

[LateNight72]

Put the legs down (and locked!), and come from the front. First and foremost, it is IMPOSSIBLE to pull the engine as you are trying to do, from the side.

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

That looks like the Harbor Freight engine hoist that I have. If so, i've used it to pull the small block out of my 69 Camaro and the big block out of the donor 1979 GMC pickup I bought and had no issues with clearance when pulling from the front, I never tried pulling from the side though....is there a reason to pull from the side versus the front?

This is a Harbor Freight crane, but this is their 1 ton crane and it only extends to 50.25". It appears the 2 ton crane extends to 79". The 1 ton must be for imports because I even took the fender off and it's still short by an inch or two. I hope they will let me exchange it. If anyone has plans to purchase an engine crane, make sure it extends to at least 60". If not, you will be in the same boat I am.

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

Exchange it for a bigger hoist, that one looks too small.


Thank you. You seem to be the only guy thinking along those lines.

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

I guess there's a space issue as to why you're not using it the normal way? As in, from the front?

You don't even have the legs of that hoist down, it's going to tip over when you get some weight on it.

Jack the car up some, put it on jackstands, put the legs of the hoist down, and extend the arm to where it needs to be. And commence pulling the engine.

It's obvious I need to put the legs down, but why step and stumble over the legs trying to manuver into various positions until I know if it's going to reach? I have the legs up because it makes it easier to move around into various positions until I find out if it will reach. It appears the 1 ton crane is too short, no matter where you go at it from. It only extends to 50.25". The 2 ton crane extends to 79". More than enough. I hope they will let me exchange it.

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

It's the same hoist I used on my 69...you must be at the front of the car.


If I go at it from the front of the car, it comes up even shorter. By removing the fender, I can get it to within 1"-2", but still no go. I am going to try to exchange it for the 2 ton.

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

And take of the hood before you start lifting . . . .


My son and I pulled the hood off yesterday. I am going to try to exchange it for the 2 ton crane which extends to 79". More than enough.

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

The whole problem is it's a 1 ton crane. It only extends to 50.25". From the front, it comes up even shorter. From the front, it is about 1' too short, maybe more.

[Vegas69]

I'm wrong....mines a 2 ton picker....

[John Wright]

1/4T(fully extended) is 500# and that is pushing it even for a SBC. I'd try to exchange that one for the larger 2T hoist as you are planning to do. I've lifted the motor and trans together with my 2T, and that makes it alot easier to snag and drag the motor out.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/10/DSC01489-1.jpg

[Jim Nilsen]

A trick I learned from gravel driveways was to push the car back as you lift with a floor jack under the tail shaft to keep it off of the ground and by the time you push the car back far enough the engine and trans are high enough to not need the floor jack and you can push the car out of the way. The car rolls easier than hoist even on a smooth hard surface.

Be safe and do not lift the engine from the side because the geometry of the way it has to come out won't allow it with the engine and trans together bacause you can't roll the car back and you can't move the hoist back. You have to go from the front.

You definately will like the bigger hoist as the small ones can cost you a lot when the whole thing falls over.

When using a new hoist or a used one, make sure you lift the load up and then wait to see if it has any bleed down. I had a hoist start to go down as the pan was at the radiator support. Did you know that a stock GM radiator support can actually support an engine and trans. I pumped like heck to get it back up and shove back in the hole as it was the easiest since I could pull the car back as I pumped.

Leave the load safely to go back down and wait and see.

Have fun and be safe .

[67Camaro RS/SS 350]

I am getting ready to put the motor back in the car. I replaced the rear main seal, oil pan gasket and head gaskets. I hope I got the rear main in correctly. I am not sure if the guy before me had it in correctly because it has leaked ever since I got it. The seal has a side that has these hash marks on it. I installed it so those hash marks face the flywheel. The other side of the seal has a large groove that runs the circumfrence of the seal. I installed the seal so that large groove faces the harmonic damper.

[TonyHuntimer]

I am getting ready to put the motor back in the car. I replaced the rear main seal, oil pan gasket and head gaskets. I hope I got the rear main in correctly. I am not sure if the guy before me had it in correctly because it has leaked ever since I got it. The seal has a side that has these hash marks on it. I installed it so those hash marks face the flywheel. The other side of the seal has a large groove that runs the circumfrence of the seal. I installed the seal so that large groove faces the harmonic damper.

From your description it sounds like you got it in right. This is the way it's supposed to go in or it will leak like a big dog. Oviously the orange paint is the back of the block and the lip of the seal is pointing towards the front of the engine.