Plug hole engine lift Question

fiddlybits

fiddlybits

Senior Member
can the plug hole engine lifts safely lift engine with flywheel and transmission?

Would 1 & 4 be the best plug holes to use?

Anyone have these damage a head or fail?

I like the simplicity but cautious as i have never pulled the weight of an engine on spark plug holes before.
 
The third hole works BEST when the transmission is on. When I do it with the transmission off, I usually have to use a small ratchet strap hooked onto the front engine pulley to pull the engine more horizontal.

I've not had a sparkplug/lifting eye pull out. Never heard of one pulling out.

The engine/transmission together weighs 475 lbs.

Lets say the annular area of the spark plug in shear is 2-1/2" long - and the length of the threaded section is 1/2 inch. That is an area in shear of about 1-1/4in2

Shear modulus for cast iron is perhaps 30Ksi*1.3 (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shear_strength) or perhaps 40ksi. Cast iron in shear is actually stronger than cast iron in tensile - perhaps all that carbon getting in the way instead of acting like fracture points?

Given the 1-1/4in2 area, perhaps 50klbs total pull.

Ok - maybe half of 50klbs with a side-pull on the spark plug and "cantilevering"

I think I can hear the engine laughing - even at this distance.

I can see reasons for using two spark plugs - it allows one to use a "lifting bar" or other arrangement to "level" the engine - but it's not necessary.

Joe K
 
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I use this little device that Bill Stipe makes. It does utilize 2 spark plug holes, but gives you a choice of 5 lifting locations. The second hole from the back is the one I use mostly when pulling the engine sans transmission.
 

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That's the way I do it. I also have lifted a small block v 8 engine completely dressed by the 4- 5/16 carburetor studs with out an issue. Those threads are stronger than you think.
 
Joe K - Thank you for making my memory scramble to remember that stuff and confirming what I suspected but didn't want to work out. I'll go put my slide rule away now. :D

Mitch - ONE hole??!?!! holy Cr*p on a cracker....I hadn't even considered that.....but it does answer the one concern I had and that was the strength of the head and hole.

CarlG - I have all sorts of slings, hoists and lifts with engine levelers that attach in two points. Although I'm sure that Bill's lifter is great it would be a bit of a step backwards.

Since I have to pull one engine before putting the new one in I can get a feel for which holes to use but if there isn't any interference I like my leveler to have to attach with chains straight down and that looks like 1 & 4. This give me the ability to just crank in the tilt so I can slip an engine in like a foot into a shoe.

Engine is just screaming at me to be put in so it can strut it's stuff so I guess I'll have a busy weekend. :cool:

Thanks all for the input.
 
I have lifted a 3.4 litre Jaguar engine and transmission using this method, the Jag head was aluminum and the whole assembly weighed over 1,000lbs. So why worry about a little A motor?

Ian
 
ian Simpson said:
I have lifted a 3.4 litre Jaguar engine and transmission using this method, the Jag head was aluminum and the whole assembly weighed over 1,000lbs. So why worry about a little A motor?

Ian
Click to expand...

Are you sure the Jag engine weights that much, especially with an aluminum head?:confused:
I don't know........just asking, but that sure seems like too much weight.:confused:

For the Model A I use braided nylon rope or seat belts around the water inlet and intake manifold. I also have plug eyes that I screw into holes 2 and 4. The trouble with the plug eyes is the engine tilts to one side.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
... I also have plug eyes that I screw into holes 2 and 4. The trouble with the plug eyes is the engine tilts to one side.
Click to expand...
The Bill Stipe tool (post #4) positions the lift point at the center of gravity so that the engine does not tilt.
 
Never had a problem either with pulling/replacing many engines via the spark plug holes. My preferred method is #1 and #4 with "L" brackets special made to center over the engine using Stipe's plug hole studs. I use a leveler (BTW some are too long for a Model A) since the angle going in to clear the front cross member is steeper than what is needed to mate to the torque tube.
 
I have removed and installed hundreds of engines with and without transmissions all with the same lifting eye in one spark plug hole. Don't worry about it.
 
fiddlybits said:
Joe K - Thank you for making my memory scramble to remember that stuff and confirming what I suspected but didn't want to work out. I'll go put my slide rule away now. :D

Mitch - ONE hole??!?!! holy Cr*p on a cracker....I hadn't even considered that.....but it does answer the one concern I had and that was the strength of the head and hole.

CarlG - I have all sorts of slings, hoists and lifts with engine levelers that attach in two points. Although I'm sure that Bill's lifter is great it would be a bit of a step backwards.

Since I have to pull one engine before putting the new one in I can get a feel for which holes to use but if there isn't any interference I like my leveler to have to attach with chains straight down and that looks like 1 & 4. This give me the ability to just crank in the tilt so I can slip an engine in like a foot into a shoe.

Engine is just screaming at me to be put in so it can strut it's stuff so I guess I'll have a busy weekend. :cool:

Thanks all for the input.
Click to expand...


yep one hole.. no need to over engineer it
 
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