ENGINE STAND HEAD help

[THECACKLER]

I'm building an engine stand to handle the weight of these IDI's and am seeking some "what works" pictures of others setups. I've never seen one up close and personal, only at the fringes of some pictures of the engine themselves. Of particular interest is the geometry of the adapter where the engine attaches to the stand head. I am seeking to go beyond the "Whorber Fright" stand with the 2x4 prop-rod under the front of the engine BS. I would like to have just enough depth between the block and the inside end of the pilot to be able to at least loosely R&R the flywheel on the stand, as an aid to rolling the crank over during bottom end assembly. My plan is to use 7/8" Round bar for the bent arms, six total, coming from the back of the Bell Housing adapter , around the flywheel and down to the 2" SCH160 (2.375 od X 1.9 id ) pipe pilot. This method adds about 5" to the length of the engine & stand head assembly, which increases the tendency for bending at the pilot. I am also assuming that the Cam center line is the best compromise for balancing the engine throughout assembly, but that's just a gut feeling. I am ready to cut steel but would like to see pictures of a "real" DSL engine stand head for a little peace of mind first.

 

[jwalterus]

I have a Craftsman engine cradle I will use if I ever need to pull my engine to work on it

it held a 494, it's adjustable width and length, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work on an IDI

supports at the 4 corners, or it has adapters to use the engine mounts, plenty of space for underneath work, and I know it cost me under 150

I know it's not as pretty as a traditional engine stand, but it's plenty more stable rolling it around

 

[THECACKLER]

Yeah I built a test cradle to test run these puppies in about a year or so ago. Glad I did 'cause it saved my *** on the first test run. I guess that's why I built it. Problem is you can't properly do Connecting Rod bearings in the truck or in the Test Cradle. So I need to build an engine stand that I can roll the engine over in to do the bearings. I can guess at what it will take to suspend the assembly while removing and replacing the heads and the like, but it sure would be nice to see what others use. If I had a pile of coin, I'd shell out for an OTC or the like, but I paid less for this truck than those ship for.
Anyways, anybody that can help to shed any light in my direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[jwalterus]

if all you are looking at is to be able to rotate the engine and be safe doing so....
why not take the test cradle one step further?
if you use the motor mount holes, and bolt the engine to a "rotisserie" on a cradle, supporting both ends, you would have the same deal
my thing is I just don't trust a traditional one head engine stand to hold a motor over 500lbs, I lost a good 460 block when my old one decided to collapse and drop it onto an iron blank

that's when I went to the cradle
I'll never go back, even for a SB gasser, I only use one for v-6's and 4 bangers