Engine lift plate

[Blmpkn]

Most plates are available from places like Summit Racing and Jegs but are designed to be used with carb’d engines. Usually just two flat pieces of steel welded together in a T shape. I have never used one, mostly because the only thing I have with a carb is my lawn tractor. That and you have no real leveling ability.

I have pulled and set a number of engines and done a variety of methods, chain or straps around the exhaust manifolds, intake bolts and chain, heads and chain, strap wrapped all the way around the oil pan, engine leveler, head bolts (heads off of course and used old head bolts). Keep telling myself that I’m going to make up lifting brackets and start fitting them on any engines I pull, but I haven’t got that far.

Engine leveler is by far the nicest though. Need some tilt to line up? Give it a crank and it stays like that until you crank it again. Between that a d a transmission jack it makes life a lot easier. Now if I just had a garage with a concrete floor….

I bought one of the T shaped plates for my LS motor, it replaces the valley cover so it's the length of the engine and has 5 or 6 different holes you can pull from to keep the motor level. Worked like a charm.

This is useless info for this application though I guess.. don't mind me lol.

 

[Roert42]

I've always used a chain bolted to the engine somewhere. When I did the 3800 in my montecarlo I had the heads off already to i used the head bolts. On the 3.8 in my mustang, intake and trans still installed, I used an accessory bolt, and bolt hole on the back of the head ( I think ).

Used a cherry picker I borrowed for the monte, but was kind of a pita to move around.

Used a chain fall hanging from the ceiling on the mustang, just rolled the car out from under it, much easier for my tight garage.

 

[sgtsandman]

Some engines are installed with the plates/attachment points still installed for pulling an engine. That is usually four cylinders but some V6 and V8 engines will have them as well. Check and make sure before you buy anything. They often look like a bracket with a hole or a metal loop that has no explanation for being there.

As mentioned before, a leveling bar is nice to have. It came quite in handy when I pulled and installed the engine in the 1998.

 

[dvdswan]

Engine lift plates are generally for carb or throttle-body injected engines.

Factory ones do work but are not rigid. What I mean is they are usually 1/8" steel where the plate above are 1/4".