Flatheads breaking off engine stands and falling.

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An exhaust mount is fairly easy to fab if you can weld. It is at 45 degrees, I used a piece on angle welded to flat plates and bolt the one plate directly to the plate on the engine stand. Lots of ways to build them.

pooch, I currently have a block that was damaged this way and repaired.
 
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When I port 39-48 blocks, I bolt to the half bellhousing area - as I need to be able to rotate the block to get the best porting angle. I only do this with just a bare block (doesn't weigh that much). Once I start putting the engine together, then I switch over to an exhaust mounted style (from Stumpy's).

I love the exhaust mounted version for assembly work on the front and rear of the engine -- tilt it up and put the flywheel, clutch and transmission on . . . makes a lot of tasks really easy.
 
tubman said:
I don't like the 4 wheel stands to build an engine on; the "front axle?" gets in the way and I trip over it occasionally. There is a picture of a stand earlier in this thread where it looks like you couldn't get near enough to the engine to work on it comfortably. I use these three wheel stands to build and store engines. If I have an engine I want to move around for some purposes, I have a 4 wheel "cart" that I use. There is no facility to rotate the engine on this stand, and the engines are carried quite a bit lower to the ground than on a "regular" stand. Two different types of stands for two different purposes.
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That's what I do too. My flat cart is actually a hydraulic table I got from Harbor Fright tools. It is very handy especially for loading and unloading to my truck.
It's a real back saver.
 
pooch said:
Just an ole wive's tale.

If they broke off at the bellhousing because of a stand, there would be pics of them broken and on the ground beside the stand.
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No sir... they do break. A friend of mine had one stored on a stand for a few years. Went out one day and it was on the floor.
 
pooch said:
Just an ole wive's tale.

If they broke off at the bellhousing because of a stand, there would be pics of them broken and on the ground beside the stand.
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Like this one Pooch?
 

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Believe it is more like this. As this is what happened to the block I am currently working on. It is repaired, but you could lose the whole block.
 

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I've seen these two subjects debated here on Fordbarn for the last 20 years and the advice given has gone about 50/50 in either direction. My take from all the posts I've read on this is....just use common sense for each application or project, and you'll probably be okay, but for those with no common sense, you may be in big trouble anyway.
 
Looking at it from an engineering point of view...the issue is that a weak stand with long bolts will flex sideways and then you break off a piece...
Making a a plate closest to the block with tight fitting holes would increase sucess rate.
 
Cast irons are weaker in tension than steels. They are brittle with virtually no ductility and thus are prone to sudden breaking. In any failure, typically there are multiple factors that contributed it as opposed to just a single factor. Looking at the pic in post #2, it seems the thickness of the wall of the bell housing is realitively thin. Also these blocks are now very old, and over time may have been subjected to their fair share of "abuse", perhaps leading to hairline fractures making them predisposed to breaking. From what I've seen, the factory Ford engine stands were designed to support these blocks at both the front and rear. There were likely several reasons, and probably one was a weakness in the bell housing area. So I see contrinbuting factors as such:

1. Thin casting
2. Only partial casting of bell housing leading essentially to 100% tensile loading with no compressive loading
3. Hairline fractures
4. Heavy block to begin with

I just recently went with a home brew exhaust flange support for my engine stand, as there was no way I would ever think of supporting my C59A block using the bell housing for two main reasons.

1. Safety of life and limb
2. Multiple thousands invested

Pretty simple decision I think.
 
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I just modified one of my heavy 4-wheel stands (made them myself for my heavy Hemi engines). I added some removeable front pieces (reusing a frame mount jig in the process) to mount the front of the engine. This now converts my engine stand into a "test stand" - and I can take it apart afterwards such that this big steel monolith isn't taking up too much space in my shop. (I hate big pieces of steel that occupy large areas! LOL . . . that is except cars!).

Always wanted something like this - that I can break apart for the 99% of the time I DON'T need an engine test stand. I also use these engine stands as the end-pieces to my rotating frame jig . . . gives me a really nice setup for working on frames and suspension stuff.

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Kube said:
No sir... they do break. A friend of mine had one stored on a stand for a few years. Went out one day and it was on the floor.
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If storing one on stand that attaches to bell, just cut a 2x4 and wedge it under front to take some of the weight.
 
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larrys40 said:
i know there’s lots that have done it but it’s a risk . I have a krw stand ( i realize they are expensive and hard to come by but i’m highlighting the mounting method) that has the mount for v8’s from the exhaust port and that is how i would mount them. Make a manifold plate and modify to your modern stand . There’s too much money involved in rebuilding them to take a chance on failure at the rear of the engine flange . Any fix would be weak at best .
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I have enclosed pictures so people can see what Larrys40 means.
This is the best way to hold the engine without damage as holding a 59a block from flywheel side will crack and we have seen plenty come in with the crack on bell housing.
 

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It happened to a friend of mine as I was standing there. All was ok until he turned the
motor upside down and bang it broke off a big chunk and hit the ground.
I spray welded the piece back on.
 
I made my own attachment for the the engine stand out of 1/4" flatplate with the 7/16" & 3/8" clearance holes that line up with the exhaust manifold bolt holes in the block. I used to just bolt it up to the bellhousing, but felt I could run out of luck at some point. Pretty simple project for a good nights sleep. Will post a photo of the attachment. I believe someone here on the barn makes them for a reasonable price also.
 
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