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Got the engine successfully mounted on the stand. With the mounting plate attached to the engine, all I had to do was lift the engine up, position the stand, then guide the mounting stud into the bearing and lock it all in place. Took 10 minutes. So far I'm very pleased with the stand. It feels rock solid. Zero flex, no wobbling. It's very easy to roll around...I can move the whole assembly with minimal effort.

Turning the engine over is going to require me to use the cherry picker or the lift to control the engine as it spins over. It is very top heavy. Removing the head and other things will help some, but I'm not sure if I can spin it by hand.

The hardest part of all this was getting the holes drilled in the plate. But now that they are done I should be able to mount any 51-54 straight 8 on the stand without and issue. I should also be able to mount the V8's using the original mounting system.

Do not attempt to spin that by hand. 😬

At least until the head and crank/converter is out.

Wow, yes. That is top-heavy. Even the bare block is going to be tough to spin. Judging by looks, I'd say the center of gravity would be along the brown to blue color change. Any chance to extend the pilot part of the plate into that area?

When turning this 90 degrees, does it extend beyond the footprint width of the stand? If yes or if it's close you might want to consider getting box tube that fits within the ID of that cross piece over the back wheels to extend the footprint width a couple feet on each side. Like a set of outriggers on a crane truck. Perhaps add some jack screws to the ends or block it up tight with wood. As you mentioned, keep the engine crane attached until you know how it will react when turning it.

Be careful when it comes to moving things that are heavy. If you've watched any of my other videos, I was lucky to not have my entire finger or hand severed in a moment of "insufficient situational assessment". Yeah, that sounds like a smart way to describe a stupid moment. Either way, be safe and keep us posted.


Mark