rusnak

Yep, I had a brand new HF hammer shatter on me in December.

theiceman

we dont call it "the chineese tool store" for nuthin ..

Ed Hughes

I had two HF jacks go bad, with very minimal use. One for a bad seal, one, both of the swivel wheels broke off. At the low cost, one may say they are disposable. But, buy two or three, and you get to where you coulda bought a decent jack to begin with. Keep in mind, I have a lift, so it is a rare occasion to use a floor jack.

Like I said before, they all come from China these days. The $119 Sears ATV jack is on sale regularly for $80 or 90. I've had mine for years now, and while it may only get used every 1 or 2 years, it's handy to have. I'll drop the 993 motor this year for clutch and out of car PM work, so it still has work to do!

PS-I thought a HF flux mig for the $120 cost would work for whatever little welding I had to do. I was wrong there. Bought the $400 Hobart cheapo after using the HF once. I will buy gear oil pumps, tie-downs/bungees and such for light uses there, that's about it. Oh, and the upside down tomato grower for $4 was a score!

rusnak

I bought the upside down tomato grower and it's so hot here, the soil just steamed out. I think I need to grow tomatos in the ground here. I gave away the HF mig and got a Lincoln 130 MIG that I can weld all day long with.

The Sears ATV jack did end up being a good purchase in my mind. It comes with two hold down straps that come in very handy to hold the motor to the platform and keep total peace of mind.

Steam Driver

One of the reasons I liked the HF jack I started this thread with is that it will go to 19 inches. In any case the car will likely have to be jacked up some more after the engine is lowered.

In an earlier (different) thread I mentioned that back in the Corvair days I R&R'd engines by jacking the car and loosening the bolts, then lowering the car back onto a homemade dolly under the power train and removing the bolts. Then jacking the car up off the powertrain and rolling it out. Worked great and cheap.

The jury's still out on this one for me, but (to use another cliche') it's getting down to "fish or cut bait" time for me. I'm going to do some serious looking at all the options this weekend and do something early next week.

Later - I just looked at the Craftsman jacks on-line. It appears to me that the HF and Sear's aluminum jacks are identical except (currently) the Craftsman version is $4.00 more. Both have the same 19 - 4.5 inch range. The steel versions (which are very similar if not identical except for paint color also) only go to 17 inches. Is the extra two inches worth the money (no comment please)? Also the AL versions weigh about half what the steel ones do.

Ed Hughes

I've done a few drops on jackstands. If you use the proper size of stands at the rear, with enough height to begin with, you can lower the front of the car, raising the rear off the motor (sitting on the ATV jack), and getting enough clearance to lower the jack and roll the motor out. I NEVER took a bumper off to do this.

I'd have to think about this, but it seems like 24-25" under the rear T-bars got the rear end up high enough to get the ~39" clearance needed. Remember, it is best to have all 4 corners on stands, and then LOWER the front to raise the rear off the engine. This way, the motor/trans or motor only is always level-easier to work with.

rusnak

the 6-ton jackstands will safely rise high enough to clear both an SC and a 3.2 Carrera motor with the front tires on the ground.

I would drop the motor with the car level and raised, then lift the rear up higher to pull the motor back out if needed. Otherwise, do what you need to do then lift the motor back up.

The SC motor may need to have the CIS boot removed, no big deal, in order to clear without removing the rear valance, which can be stuck if the screws can't be broken free.

I use a jack pad that slips into the receptacle on the side of the body to lift the car, along with 2"x6" boards stacked perhaps 3 high. The jack pad looks like a solid square rod with a plate that rests on the jackstand. It is important that the car stay steady and not tippy at any point, even while being lifted.

Ed Hughes

Lowering the front, after the car is raised and level, and the motor is loose and ready to drop, is how I raise the rear. It is magical.

Steam Driver

This thread has been a real gold mine of information; thanks guys.

I'm going to go with the HF yellow/black ATV jack. Why? Because I found out I can BORROW it rather than buy. Free is always good!