Engine/Transmission weight

[JKING]

Hi all
I am building a hoisting structure in the attic of my garage for the purpose of hauling my S1 engine/transmission. I wonder if anyone has an idea of the approximate weight of this combination, sans starter, generator, carbs, etc.

[RotoFlexible]

I know I've read the engine weight somewhere but I can't put my finger on it. However, I recently built a hoist point in my garage which handled the engine and transmission with ease. I screwed cleats onto two trusses (? - horizontal 2x10's that would be the floor joists of the garage attic, if it had an attic) and screwed a 2x8 horizontally on top of the cleats, spanning the gap between the trusses. I drilled a hole through the 2x8 and ran an eye bolt (threaded on the shank) through the 2x8 with nuts and washers top and bottom. Make sure the trusses are firmly attached to the rafters at either end, and you should be all set.

My lifting rig consists of a come-along with the cable hooked into the eye bolt and the handle end hooked to the lifting harness (an old rope) looped around the engine. Clunky, but it works.

To give you an idea of the weight, when I used to work on someone's racing Elan, our engine removing tool consisted of a 2x4 with the lifting harness tied to it. We each took one end and the two of us managed to get the engine out (and back in) without mechanical advantage.

[JKING]

Thanks Andrew
That sounds like an incredible feat, 2 guys lifting the engine/transmission out with just a 2 x 4. I've pulled my engine before and it always takes an awful lot of pulling and pushing and tilting both sideways and longitudinally with the thing hanging there putting the paint on the front of the engine bay in harms way.
I usually raise the engine up and then push the car out from under it but this time the front suspension will be disassembled so I need a traveling lift. Short of getting you and your buddy to be my traveling lift, I'm hanging two 4 ft lengths of 1 1/4" sched 40 pipe from the trusses side by side 3 ft apart and placing another pipe across them. A come-along will hang from the cross pipe by a short rope and I'll roll this section along the 4 ft "tracks" to move the engine over the nose of the car. (I hope)
I've stressed everything for a 400 lb load and I've got a fair amount of room for more weight. But I'd like not to be surprised. Do you think 400 lbs is enough?

[john.p.clegg]

John
I hope you have thought this out before doing it,this piece of pipe rolling along two other pieces of pipe sounds like a recipe for diaster if one end rolls more than the other!!!!!!!

By the way,before installing a propper hoist I employed the exact same method as Andrew but employed my wife Andria and two kids to do the lifting.

I knew she would come in handy for something(only kidding)

John

[JKING]

Thanks for your concern, John. The cross pipe is locked in position until I want to move it. It does not move easily as the friction of the rope link for the come-along must be overcome. A bit of wax on the rope and a Stilson wrench accomodates this. The longitudinal pipes, tracks, are braced to maintain the guage. It actually works quite well although it travels rather slowly. The cross pipe doesn't seem to want to get out of line but if it does, I can stick a length of smaller pipe or a crow bar inside of it and lever it back into position. Haven't tried it with the weight of the engine yet.
The garage has a dry wall ceiling which seals off the trusses below which all this stuff hangs.
I would have to employ my wife and my dog to use Andrew's method and somehow I don't think either of them would be keen to try it.
Does Andria see these posts?

[john.p.clegg]

John
What kind of fool do you take me for,the chain is cut to the exact right length so she is free to move around the house between the sink.fridge and cooker and nowhere else.

John

[patrics]

Hi
My engine block complete with front cover, flywheel and oil but no dizzy or pumps was 70 kg
Stromberg head complete but without cams was 22 kg
Gearbox complete including bell housing, cables and mounting was 37.5 kg

Regards
Steve

[twincamman]

hi guys ---I have used the come along on the garage joist system but when I dropped the mini motor I went out and purchased a proper engine hoist --150 bucks and I dont have to jockey the super 7 under the beam to install the motor tranny --the angle on an elan motor tranny installation is so steep its scary without one --its so much safer and easy on the equipment and a dropped twin cam is costly --and it makes removal and installation a one man job -plus you never have to store it because you friends are always using it so just call the last user and ask for it back for a while -- -ed

[JKING]

Steve, thanks. I'm surprised it's only 285 lbs. Since the flywheel was included I assume the rods and pistons also were. How about the clutch hardware? What's a dizzy?

You're right, Ed. A proper chain hoist would be a lot better. For one thing, the come-along moves incrementally through about an inch or more where the chain hoist will move however little you need. Getting the front edge of the sump over the lip of the bodywork requires precise vertical movement along with horizontal movement, tilting, plus a lot of cussing. Your mentioning neigbors that borrow them reminded me that my neighbor has one. I think I'll give him a call tomorrow.

Way to go, John

[bcmc33]

I asked the same question some time ago - and this was the resonse:

http://www.lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13918


Brian Clarke
(1972 Sprint)

[JKING]

Thanks Brian.
My rig will handle that weight easily.

[bcmc33]

A question applicable to this thread - where is/are the best places to sling the engine & gearbox to lift it out of a baby Elan?


Brian Clarke
(1972 Sprint)

[john.p.clegg]

I sling mine under each engine mounting..

John

[JKING]

A requirement for the sling arrangement is that the assembly will have to be tilted upward during removal as it is being lifted and moved forward. So I rig a two part sling using 1/2" braided Dacron line with a loop passing from the hook down in front of the engine mounts and under the sump and back to the hook. Another loop passes from the hook to just aft of the bell housing and back to the hook and is adjustable for length.