Dropping Short Block w/o Crane

[bushbean]

I had planned to take my short block to a machine shop for rebuild, but since the cheapest place wants $1100 to rebuild it, I'm considering finding a used engine at the junkyard. The junkyard wants $100 for a short block. There's usually no crane available at the yard. One time, I had to pull a transmission out w/o any sort of lift or crane equipment. Now is it possible to drop the engine thru the bottom side? Maybe disconnect everything from the short block before dropping it to the ground?

[stat1K]

people do this all the time, i would just advise putting something underneath it to brace it's impact incase it drops suddenly. i always see pieces of seat belt missing from cars used to hoist a motor down.

now are you sure there's no crane or is it just one of the deals where you have to ask?

[2oodoor]

also, pull a part has cranes for you to use if you have a pullapart there. They are A frames with wheels and a chain hoist.

[bushbean]

also, pull a part has cranes for you to use if you have a pullapart there. They are A frames with wheels and a chain hoist.

Yes, but they only have 2 cranes in the whole junkyard. And someone else is always using it.

[Legend_master]

Well I think your biggest problem with pulling the motor from the bottom will actually be getting the car up high enough to get the engine out from underneath it. Once you remove the cross member you will have plenty of space to drop the engine from the bay. You will obviously need to take the head off, so you don't have to lift the car as high. Does the Junkyard have a dirt ground, or concrete?

[bushbean]

Some dirt, some gravel.

[Legend_master]

Some dirt, some gravel.

That could be rather difficult. Finding some way to pick the car up that high will give you some problems. Since the dirt/gravel is not going to be very stable. The only real way to do that would be with an engine hoist, but you could just pull the entire motor from the top if you had that. What are your plans for getting the car up in the air?

[2oodoor]

The pullapart here has about five, and you just have to be patient I guess.
They also will pick up the car for you with a forklift, these cars already are on homemade jackstands.
The pullapart in Columbia is the same way, so I guess most are close operationaly speaking.. just different managment. Columbia was much cleaner and way less vandalized cars.

Once you get everything unfastened on the bottom side you can then drop the car on the ground and it isnt very high up then. You could just about wench a motor on over to a pickup truck bed if your are creative.

[bushbean]

What are your plans for getting the car up in the air?

All cars in this junkyard are resting on tall steel stands. They are tall enough to drag a transmission out; so they should be tall enough for a short block. I could also tilt the short block sideways.

[carotman]

I pulled an A20A with a friend of mine without a crane.

Of course, it had no intake and no transmission but still had the exhaust manifold.

I guess you could do the same.