Materials Handling
Healey Journal
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Given the amount of work I needed to do it was necessary to have a hoist for lifting heavy components. A collapsible hoist was made desirable by the very limited space available. After due consideration I choose to buy a hoist rated as capable of handling 500 kgs (1100 lbs). So far this has been adequate for my needs, but....
If I had to do it again I would recommend a somewhat heavier duty hoist. Its constructed well enough but can only handle its maximum load when the boom is shortened. At full extension I really doubt that it will really be able to handle both the Healey's engine and transmission as a unit. At the least, this means I'll need to install those before the final mounting of the outer body panels, or put the transmission in and then use the hoist just for the engine and fiddle with lining evrything up properly.
Caveat: also consider clearance UNDER the car. The wheels and frame of the hoist need to fit beneath the Healey, and it may be useful to be able to crawl under there to help guide the transmission into place.
When considering the hoist think about its capacity at full extension, how high the Healey may be on blocks to allow access underneath and how high the hoist's boom will have to reach to clear the car while lifting the engine, considering the engine's dimensions, the connecting chain and desired clearances between the bodywork AND ceiling. Had I done this I think I'd not have bought one, but rented something bigger instead.
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I'll probably get a heavy-duty engine stand in due course. But until then, I've other things to buy....
This is probably what I'll get (or something virtually identical)- a heavy-duty one suitable for the Healey engine. This has two legs and should be more stable and sturdy. I also understand that the engine can be mounted "side-ways" using the engine mounts rather than from the end to make it more stable yet and to facilitate work in the ends.
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The Healey engine is heavy and unwieldy. Moving it about can be a hard job. Its possible to manage that with garage "creepers" I've been told- and other people have resorted to a variety of wheeled devices with equal success. A custom made engine dolly seems a far more effective device- after all, why have a creeper and not use it for creeping about? Having just built a garage and workbench I had a supply of semi-scrap lumber available. For the base I used a piece of 3/4" plywood cut 30" long and 15 1/2" wide- allowing a clear 12" between the two sides, which were 1 3/4" thick, 6" high and 24" long. The sides were attached to the based with six 4" long screws on each side. I bought 4 swivel base wheels each with a rated capacity of 75 kilos (~165 lbs) to allow a total weight of 300 kilos (~660 lbs) that should be more than adequate for the Healey engine and transmission and should I wish to use these for the whole engine-less chassis too I might just manage it. The wheels were located about 6 inches in from each end with two 1 1/2" screws in the "outer" holes attaching them to the base and up into the sides, and two 1/2" screws in the "inner" holes holding them to the base. The dolly was left unfinished, and if I did it again I would have painted or varnished it. I may do so yet...
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The dolly works well, exactly as needed. The shorter sides allow the engine's back plate room while providing more than adequate support for the block. If I needed a dolly for both engine and transmission I think this design could be easily adapted to that requirement by simply extending the base another 24" and moving the wheels out half that distance. This one could be adapted to manage too with a suitable cutout in the sides to accommodate the bellhousing so that the whole engine-transmission assembly would rest centered on the dolly.
The top picture shows the dolly with a whole engine on it. To do this it was necessary to position a 6x6" block under the front of the oil pan to support it and keep the engine level. There is no need to secure that block to the base- the engine will hold it down. The picture to the right shows the dolly holding just the stripped block. For this the pan support is not necessary and has been removed.
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I hadn't really planned on doing anything special for the rear axle, but accidentally discovered a stand that made working on it easier than it might have otherwise have been. With the BJ8's rear axle there are brackets to which the springs attach. These provide an ideal flat surface to rest the axle upon. A couple of pieces of 2x10 lumber then provide an ideal stand for the axle. These are roughly 15 inches long- this allows the axle to be tilted back or tilted forward as well as rest level. Cross braces could (should) be added for stability, particularly if the axle shafts themselves were being removed or installed.
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Given the amount of work I needed to do a rotisserie has been a very attractive proposition.
However, given the very limited space available I do not think that having one would be a practical proposition. And the amount of work required to build one could, perhaps, be more usefully applied to actually working on the car. Not unless, I could somehow be persuaded that one contrived of two engine stands would be adequate, and quick and easily constructed....
Here's some information about one built by someone else (Neil Fletcher- it's shown in the picture): http://www.neilfletcherracing.co.uk/the_spit.htm
Copyright© 2008 James M. Wilson All rights reserved.