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OK, lets start here. Don't need to here how you think Empi or Harbor Freight stuff is junk and I should go a different direction. I appreciate the advice but it is present in a 1000+ posts. I will weld thickening tabs to the Empi so I am not worried about it bending, breaking or self destructing my motor and I was given the HF stand.

The hole in the HF stand has an ID of 2.45" or, 2.125" if I use the sleeve from the V8 mounting plate, the post on the Empi stand has an OD of 1.625".

People seem to be putting these together all the time, how?

Any advice is appreciated.
Lakedawgs

Since no one has answered I am going to take a shot at it. Most anything can be done but the answer is how much will I have to do to accomplish it.

http://www.mooreparts.com/457-AC000100/ This is about as cheap of a stand as it goes but I posted it to show you the direction you would have to go to get things to work satisfactorily.

1st, notice the depth of the stand: from the face of the mounting flanges to the pivot. The depth is so you can put the flywheel and clutch assembly on easily while the engine is still on the stand.

Next notice the mounting flanges themselves. Thin materially, thin width wise and elongated for more mounting surface: this is for mounting to the studs (on one half of the case) or bolt holes (one threaded one not) found on each half of the case and to clear the flange that faces up on the engine to transaxle mating surfaces.

Most commercial engine stands have short stubby tubes for the bolts to go through and the outside of the flanges can interfere with the flange face I was talking about. You would have to make a couple of adapters to work for the flywheel/clutch assembly and to meet the requirements of the mounting flange.

As an aside, the commercial stands will give you a max weight rating usually in the 750# area which means that the vertical post of the engine stand will deflect to pretty much straight up and the full weight engine will have its deck surfaces level as opposed to the post angled back when at rest. Does it make a difference... maybe... if you want your ~300# engine to be flat when you work on it.

http://www.mooreparts.com/458-AC000105/ My stand is home made using the bench mount stand adapted. The stand does look similar to this including the brace and is a breakdown model for storage when not in use. I can take some photos if you want as I think I can find it pretty easily enough.

http://www.mooreparts.com/11978-AC000105-HD/ This one is pretty healthy looking and it might give you some ideas.

You could make a new head like the last one for your other stand.

Lee

Make an adaptor sleeve out of a piece of 2-1/4" .250 wall round tube. https://www.speedymetals.com/ps-3503-20 ... -tube.aspx not a perfect fit, but should work.

Thanks Baja-it,
Looks like that is my best bet. I have looked in to black iron and PVC but nothing matches up correctly.
lakedawgs

I kind of misread/didn't understand your question as to the mating of the two. After BAJA-IT wrote what he did I looked at what you wrote a bit differently.

If you are going to sleeve the HF stand then make sure it is an interference fit or at worse welded in place real well; I am not real comfortable sleeving something that will be supporting a cantilevered load like this. As I rotated the engine on my stand a couple of times I noticed that the head was screwing out of the stand quite quickly so keep an eye on it. I have noticed that on my rotisserie made from a pair HF engine stands they have that same tendency too.

Also the EMPI, et al, pivot tubes on the head are thin and of a softer material; e.g., the hand locking device, if it isn't lifted fully, can wear through the soft material quite easily; I had to weld up groves then dress the welds flush in mine. The pivot tube is also wearing at the far end as the fitment was not tight enough. So... if you are going to sleeve the EMPI tube be careful as to material and fitment.

Hi,

I would have posted this sooner but had to find the part and photograph it. I had a bench mount engine yoke welded to my Harbor Freight engine stand support years ago.

It's been very servicable.

FJC

I like that, basic and relatively forever sturdy. THANKS