Anyone use a lifting plate that bolts onto the carb pad of the intake manifold? I'm about to lift a 428 with a tko600 attached and I'm worried about stripping out the threads of the aluminium manifold and having the engine/tran combo land on my foot or even worse my car. I've always used chains in the past. Thank you Al.
I used one when we did my sons 350 in his Chevelle. Worked fine. I have seend them used on tv shows with trannies attached. Just last night as a matter of fact. Does the tko600 bolt right up to the poncho bellhousing?
Last fall I lifted my 455/TH 400 combo out of the car with a carb plate and dangled it from the lift for 3 days while I changed out the oil pan gasket and then put the engine/tranny back in. I have an aluminum E-brock Performer manifold and matching cylinder heads.
The only thing I did in the effort of safety was to use Grade 8 bolts about 1 inch long into the aluminum manifold.
A saw a thread about this over at the Team Camaro site and some mechanical engineers came on and talked about the forces involved. Not anywhere near the failure points for anything involved in the lifting.
Unless you have a wimpy engine hoist.
2012 Mustang Boss 302 #1918, Competition Orange. FGF replacement 2006 Mustang V6 Pony, Vista Blue. Factory ordered. 2019 BMW X3 (Titled to the wife, but I'm always driving it for her. So I'm claiming it) Old projects, gone but not forgotten: 1967 FB 400, original CA car. After 22 years of work, trashed by the guy who was supposed to paint it. I had to sell it. 1980 Turbo Trans Am 1970 Mustang fastback, 351C 4Bbl, auto 1988 Mustang GT, 5 speed 1983 F-150 4x4, built 302 1994 Chevy K2500 HD 4x4, 454 TBI
Personally, I prefer a leveling attachment attaching points to the rear one head and to the front of the other. It's not that I do not trust a carb plate, but you have greater leverage and movement.
And I have issues with using a carb plate with an aluminum intake. Iron fine..not aluminum.
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1967 Starlight black PMD Engineering 400 Auto 1968 Alpine Blue 400 4 speed 1968 Verdoro Green 400 HO 4 speed 2013 1LE 2SS/RS Inferno Orange Camaro.
The tremec bolts on to the same Pontiac manifold that a Muncie bolted to. I bought mine from Keesler they may have modified the tranny mounting flange but I don't think so, it looked original.
Finally put my engine and trans into the car, I used the plate on the intake with the engine and the tko attached and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't fall off. Worked well, although I was a bit nervous.
I also do it when I pull the engines out, I trust it to hold the engine and trans. Look at this way, I would rather have 4 bolts with the forces pulling straight up on all 4 then have 2 bolts pulling up sideways on them. As long as the threads are good in the manifold. I also throw a chain with a couple of bolts as a safety measure, I too think about the weight on the Aluminum.
Pulled the engine, for the third time, yesterday and this time took a pic of the whole schebang hanging on the plate. I was too nervous to stop and take a pic with it all the way up over the rad support.
Go to harbor freight and get a load leveler. It has chains you attach with either the intake bolts or bolt to the opposite ends of the heads. It has a crank that you turn to change the center of gravity to tilt it as you need to. I would be nervous doing what you'r doing lifting by the carb bolt holes in an aluminum manifold. But people do it that way too.
It's not an aluminum intake. Doubt I would do it with that. Pulled lots of engines with the tranny without issue and do not need the load leveller if you can believe it. The balance is almost perfect in that picking up the tranny end is easy and quicker by hand. Never required a second man to take out or put in a engine.
I think the key is the plate must be thick (prevents bolts from bending - shear force) and the bolts (strong) must occupy 98% of the hole (not tight against the bottom.) If you cannot bend the bolt then it cannot break. Steel greatest strength is tension along it's longest dimension.
Princess Auto in Langford, leave home at 8AM get back at 3:30 PM for that trip, The intake is Aluminium, Performer RPM, It's not the bolt strength that has me nervous but the threads tearing out of the intake manifold. But it worked well going in and coming back out.
