Engine hoist lifting points?

[cascadia]

I'm going to be lifting the engine and transmission as one piece off of the subframe assembly, any ideas on the best mounting points for this combo?

[DavidBrough]

Hi Bob,

When I removed my engine and gearbox I must admit it was in the car and despite having a load leveller I found the best way was to use rope around the engine mounts, just remember to leave the loose bolts on the mounting to avoid the possibility of the rope slipping off. This set up will lift the combo at approx 45deg which is fine for pulling the unit out of the car but to keep it level when clearing the front panel I put a smaller rope around the back of the gearbox to the lift hook which doesn't take much weight and is easy to manually adjust the angle. This should allow you to lift the unit straight off the subframe without any problems

[merrill]

when I pulled my motor I pulled the motor and tranny separately.

Anyway,  I used 4 ratcheting tie down straps attached to a harbor freight engine load leveler.

essentially I put an old towel on to of the valve cover, set the leveler on it, then attached
a strap to a chain, around the motor and then to the other side chain.   

I put 2 straps on the front and 2 on the rear.  Ratcheted them down fairly snug.

There may be a way to use the head bolts as a connecting point but I am not sure

[ja17]

Hello,

It is important to be safe first of all.  Specially made lift chains or cables are made with nice flat end attachments with bolt holes. These will give you numerous options and will be safe. They are designed for this kind of work and are load rated. I use two head bolts with a specially made lift cable. (If you use head bolts for attachment points, alwiays remove the washers under the head bolts so you get the max number of threads into the block.) These assemblies are not expensive. The leveling type of lift assembly usually have the chain attachments included. An alternative is a heavy duty commercial nylon lift strap which  can  be looped around the engine side supports. Look for the load rating on these straps. Don't ise any device damaged or not rated. 
If economics are the issue you can still be safe by using a nice heavy section of chain.  You can bolt the chain in loops around the engine support arms and use another  small section of chain level the assembly.  Remember, all these devices even a chanin should have a rated lifting weight. Give yourself about three times the estimated lifting weight or more, safety margine for any hardware or device you use.

I will try to post some photos later this evening of some of these lift devices.

[cascadia]

 I ended up finding some nice nylon lift straps at a trucker's supply outfit, they were $15 apiece, rated at 3300lbs.  My only concern was the strap that's pressing close to the injection pump, but it seems to be ok.  While I'm storing it I've taken some of the weight off the straps by half setting it down on these wooden boxes.