A Few Engine Crane Mods

[smyrna5]

Just a few quick pics I snapped of the modifications I had to do to my engine crane to get it over the engine hump in my motorhome. The old leg seen beside the drivers seat was designed to run flat across the ground to keep the crane from tipping over, but the hump is in the way. I bought some 2x2x1/8" steel tube and used the HH 140 to weld some new legs in an L shape to clear the hump. I know the colors are kind of chiristmasee, but I had a can of green paint handy so..





Works like a champ.

[Some Creep]

Looks like a winner!

My only question is:

The 'hump' the legs are modified to go over, is it reinforced underneath to handle the force of the engine weight put on it by the crane legs? I assume it is because you were able to drill into it and attach the bolts holding it in place and you must have checked that before you built it.

Just curious what it looks like underneath the carpet (undercarriage side). You aren't going to wind up with impressions in the metal where the legs were after it's all completed?

[smyrna5]

Looks like a winner!

My only question is:

The 'hump' the legs are modified to go over, is it reinforced underneath to handle the force of the engine weight put on it by the crane legs? I assume it is because you were able to drill into it and attach the bolts holding it in place and you must have checked that before you built it.

Just curious what it looks like underneath the carpet (undercarriage side). You aren't going to wind up with impressions in the metal where the legs were after it's all completed?

The hump is constructed of 3/4" plywood with a coating of fiberglass and some reinforcing steel here and there, then padded and covered with carpet. It is probably not stressed for a 650 pound engine on top of it, but several others with similar coaches have constructed supports to raise it without incident. It is also designed to hold up two large seats and a couple of old fat passengers lol. The carpet will probably be gutted soon anyway and replaced.

[Some Creep]

Ah....

Plywood and carpet are easier to replace than bent sheetmetal and support gussets. If that's part of the plan, I'm sure it's better than having a good story why the carpet has squared creases because the floor it's glued to is bent.

I knew you had to know what you were doing. Just seems to be your style from what I have seen.........

If it were one of my projects it would have been a metal floor that would have crane leg imprints permanently bent into it because I didn't think to look first. Seems to be the way I roll.........

[whateg0]

Looks to be well done. But I'm a bit confused. First, I must have missed the bolts that Creep was referring to. Second, once you have the engine above the hump, how do you get it out? Just slide the hoist rearward until it clears the hump? Or is there a way to get the regular legs on it after the engine is up?

Just wondering.

Dave

[smyrna5]

Looks to be well done. But I'm a bit confused. First, I must have missed the bolts that Creep was referring to. Second, once you have the engine above the hump, how do you get it out? Just slide the hoist rearward until it clears the hump? Or is there a way to get the regular legs on it after the engine is up?

Just wondering.

Dave

LOL. I missed his part about the bolts too. The legs are not bolted to the hump. 650 pounds of 454 Chevy pulling straight down hold them pretty well in place. As far as getting the engine out once its above the hump, my original concept was to modify the green legs I made to put removable legs on them that would attach once you got the engine far enough back to need them. Then you would roll the engine stand back to the passenger door, sit it down on on a big piece of plywood and take the crane off. Once off the crane would go outside and lift the engine to the outside. The alternative, which some have done is to lower the engine out the bottom using a chain hoist.


After doing a compression test and cam lift measurements, I found the top end of the engine to be in good shape with no identifiable sludge or wear anywhere. So.. I have pulled the oil pan off the bottom and am currently inspecting the main bearings and crank. It looks like it may need some mains and a crank polishing/grind. I believe I toasted these mains myself running the engine with almost no oil. When I got it the oil pressure and temperature gauges didn't work, and I didn't know it had a bad oil leak. Like a moron I drove it a few miles without checking the dipstick, until the engine wouldn't keep running -Ouch!! It didn't freeze up, but it would die if you loaded it. The radiator and coolant wasn't hot, just the bearings grinding metal-to-metal. I filled it with oil and drove it home without incident. Fortunately truck block, 454's almost never need align-boring unless you race them pretty hard, so I will probably just do the mains and crank and live with it, if the oil pressure comes up. Live and learn.

[Some Creep]

I was looking at the silver fasteners to the inside edge of both legs on the second pic. I thought these were bolts holding the legs in position- my mistake.........

[smyrna5]

I was looking at the silver fasteners to the inside edge of both legs on the second pic. I thought these were bolts holding the legs in position- my mistake.........

Ahh. No, those hold the doghouse down over the engine. I hate them. By the way here is what the first bearing I took off the crank looks like (the rear main). As I suspected its toast. There are several scores on the main bearing surface you probably can't see, but worse yet notice how the babbitt metal is worn completely away on the side of the thrust bearing. No wonder she didn't want to pull a load without sufficient oil in the crankcase. A few more miles and we might have had friction welding Looks like new mains and crank time.

[whateg0]

...I believe I toasted these mains myself running the engine with almost no oil. ... Live and learn.

Yep. That's about right.

Dave

[smyrna5]

Yep. That's about right.

Dave

I don't care what anybody says - one quart is just not enough in a Chevy 454

[Hotfoot]

OK, too late now, but n your earlier searches for ideas, we didn't have the same picture as the first one here. I would have suggested taking out the two side windows, and running an I beam straight across, butted to the top of the window opening, supported by tripods on each end, outside the coach. Pulley on top (to save headroom), to winch on outside post.

[smyrna5]

For those who would like to see the top half of that toasted rear main. Its even worse. The lower part that had the metal worn away on the thrust bearing side is to the right. Srange how only the top half has a lot of metal eaten away in the journal area.



Ouch that musta hurt, but the parts are awaiting their trip to the machine shop Monday. They will be happy again.

[9erhater]

I like hotfoots lift plan. the best part is you can leave it the yard and tell everyone that it is a swingset project you are building ...
good luck with the engine , looks like you got a good handle on it. now that you got the thing apart, you can replace the hoses, and sensors so you dont need to use that lift again anytime soon. just a reminder, dont forget to put the oil in before you restart the new engine ..

[Hotfoot]

I like hotfoots lift plan. the best part is you can leave it the yard and tell everyone that it is a swingset project you are building ...
good luck with the engine , looks like you got a good handle on it. now that you got the thing apart, you can replace the hoses, and sensors so you dont need to use that lift again anytime soon. just a reminder, dont forget to put the oil in before you restart the new engine ..

...or the Oil Filter on (Yup, been There, done that!)

[MrFriggsit]

Could you not have left it in the RV? Was there not enough room to pull the heads/pistons? If you are doing no block machining, why pull it?