Yup, basically what the subject is asking. How did you hoist your Fieros high enough to get the engine out? Pics?

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Used an engine hoist to lift the car wayyy up then put it on jackstands that were on blocks.

Ok that's what I hear a lot of other people are doing too. How did you attach the engine hoist to the car?

I used the rear decklid latch thingy in the trunk where it latches on to, no problems.

I use a 24" 2X12, and a pretty good floor jack. I can easily clear the top of the engine. It works, but is very risky. Just have to be careful and keep distance.

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Matt D
1984 Indy Fiero 4sp.
1985 2m4 4T60, DIS V6 3.1
Once again, another chance of plans, a 1996 3.4 DOHC with this...

done two engine removal jobs this seems to work for me. Jack the rear of the car with a heavy duty 2 ton floor jack from the engine cradle. Get the car off the ground as far as you can get it. Get 2 jack stands and a metal bar thats the width of the car (I used an old bed frame rail) and place it where the car jack notches are. You may need to weight the car down in the front to keep the front on the ground. lower the jack and make sure the car is secure. remove brake lines, brake cable, strut mount bolts and shift cables. place the jack under the back of the engine cradle and remove the back 2 cradle bolts. once removed lower the cradle slowly with the jack. then place the jack under the front of the cradle and remove the last 2 bolts.
Depending on how high you jacked the car up you may need to remove the plenum and engine heads.

[This message has been edited by atarian (edited 07-14-2002).]

Made my own lift

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DECALS,FIERO SHOWS,STUFF...www.purplefiero.com

After you have everything disconnected from the engine.
Hook a chain to the engine lift points and lower the car
so the cradle rests on the legs of the hoist.

Unbolt the cradle and put the chain hooks in the holes
that the struts were in.

Lift the car up and put jack stands
under the car just in front of where the cradle was bolted.
There is an indentation on each side of the car. Put one end of the
stand there.

This is very sturdy because only the car’s weight is on them not the
engine and cradle.
Then pull the hoist and engine out from under the car.

You will have to lift the car about 30 in. plus the height of the legs

like this idea, but seems a little "dangerous". i would weld larger top and bottom on these jacks, looks like they could fall over sideways. but cool idea, hmmm how do i make something like that.

hans

quote Originally posted by Joe Torma: Made my own lift

I have just gone through this whole process, and let's remember guys, SAFETY FIRST! I advise strongly to anyone about to remove the engine/cradle assembly to either purchase or borrow a proper engine hoist. The lift method I used may take longer, but is very safe and stable. I removed the rear facia and rear bumper. Then I made a stack of plywood pieces that fit perfectly into the tapered box section that supports the rear bumper. Then I used a 4' hollow steel bar to lift at the two plywood supports. This photo shows it pretty well.

With this system, the sky is the limit, so to speak. I did jack up the front end and supported on axle stands, to avoid a severe slope of the car.
Now, another thing that makes the process easier, is to have a dolly upon which to rest the cradle. I built one for about $25 a few years ago. You just need to buy 4 heavy duty casters and a 24"X24" piece of 1" plywood. Upon this you place a couple of 2X4s or a suitable pallet which fits the cradle. Place the dolly under the cradle, lower the car until the cradle is resting on the pallet/dolly. (I adjusted the height of the front axle stands so the car was level in this position). Then, lift the back end with the hoist (of course, making sure first that everything was disconnected) until it is high enough so you can roll the dolly out. This next pic shows the car being lifted with the cradle resting on the dolly.

Now, when the rear end is high enough, I TEMPORARILY put a couple of wheels, heavy plywood and axle stands at the support point just ahead of the front cradle mounting area. With the car supported thusly, I moved the hoist away, and rolled out the dolly. The next pic shows this:

As soon as the dolly is clear of the car, I used the engine hoist and lift method to lower the back end of the car to a safe, level height. PLEASE NOTE: I don't leave the car supported on the wheel/plywood/axle stand for more than the time it takes to roll the dolly out. This is important for safety. When the time comes to put the engine back in, it is easy to lift it to the proper height again. Finally, I used a 4-point rigging on the engine and used the hoist to lift it clear of the cradle, as shown on the next pic. Note that the car has been lowered to a saft height.

Anyway, I hope this will be helpful to those of you who are about to do this operation for the first time. There are other methods and faster methods, but this one worked for me.

....Rickker

quote Originally posted by Rickker: I have just gone through this whole process, and let's remember guys, SAFETY FIRST!

you bring up a good point about safty, i don't think the car would not have to be jacked so high if you take off the plenum, manifolds and heads first. also i think there is something to say about having the car as stable as possible
when it is off the ground. when i took out my engine i had the front wheels directly on the ground and the back end was about 4' just enough to slide the cradle out. i don't trust my life to chains or hydraulics always use heavy duty jack stands and wheel chucks but don't ever trust them either. never take it for granted that your car is safely jacked. one little shift a slight movement and that car could come down. would not propose using blocks or tires. place the jackstands on solid ground. the only time to get under the car is to remove the four cradle bolts and to replace them use a hoist and a jack to lower the engine (total time for me 15min under the car). never let anyone lean on the car while it up in the air especaily when your underneath it(common sense). if your doing this in the garage at your house and have children do not let them go near your project tell them consequences of doing so. if at all possible get your freinds to help you always best with two people. offer them a beer afterwards and order a pizza. yes you can save a lot of time by not having to goto the hospital. don't let your hobbie be a funeral. Happy Swapday....I don't have my haynes manual but there is a better discription of the whole process in there.

[This message has been edited by atarian (edited 07-14-2002).]

This is how I do it http://www.v8archie.com/v8rm1.htm

Archie

quote Originally posted by Joe Torma: Made my own lift

Ahggg! you are using OEM type scissors jacks! DON'T trust those things!!! They fail catastrophically with the threading pulling right out of the nut part.

They may be alright for a tire change by the side of the highway but not to work under. It happend to me.

I used a method similar to Rkker, except I left my bumper bar in place, removing only the fascia and eggcrate material. I looped the chain around the outside of the frame rails and under the trunk.
I used two of those carpeted furniture dolleys from Home Depot, side by side, with 2x4s laid across them to support the cradle.
I left the front wheels of the car on the ground and blocked them only so they couldn't roll forward. When the car was high enough, I rolled the cradle out from the left rear corner, as the hoist was in the way of rolling it straight back.
As soon as the cradle was out of the way, I built two "towers" out of 16 concrete cap blocks (approximately 16x8x4", and solid) under the rear of the floor pan. 8 blocks on each side in a criss-cross pattern. Bottom layer was two blocks east-west, next layer was north-south, etc.
On top of those I placed a piece of 2x8, and then a piece of 2x4. Had to leave a gap in the center, as I was removing the gas tank.
Once these towers were in place, I lowered the hoist down until the weight of the floor pan was resting on them. I left the hoist in place, as an extra safety measure.
Before climbing under to remove the gas tank, I tried shaking the car to make sure it was stable.

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Raydar

From the Department of Redundancy Department.

Thank you ALL for the replies, especially Rickker!

I use those carpeted furniture dolly's too, only I found that using just one will work fine. The key is not having to raise the rear end real high with the engine cradle still attached. I raise it just enough to get to the two front cradle bolts, remove the nuts and place a floor jack to support the cradle. Then remove the front cradle bolts and lower the cradle/car so that the front of the cradle is resting on the dolly. Then I position the floor jack to support the rear of the cradle and remove the two rear cradle bolts. Lower the rear of the cradle onto the dolly and then jack the rear of the car up to clear everything. Without the cradle/engine, the car body is much lighter and the wieght distribution no longer promotes front end swing up. With this method, you dont even need an engine hoist.

[This message has been edited by 00lE (edited 07-14-2002).]

Here's another picture to give you more some ideas.

Ooh, thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

quote Originally posted by Purr-fections: Ahggg! you are using OEM type scissors jacks! DON'T trust those things!!! They fail catastrophically with the threading pulling right out of the nut part. They may be alright for a tire change by the side of the highway but not to work under. It happend to me.

Hey...ask first! They are freakin camper stabilizer jacks. The support 5000lbs a piece! I ain't stooopid! They are bolted to the 3/4" plywood. It was incredibly stable and worked great. While raising, I used jackstands all around for safety.

I used an engine hoist the first time I lifted the car and the hoist flipped forward and I dropped the car. I would NEVER do that again. Plus its a far better to lift the car straight up than at a 45* angle.
So there

I use one floor jack a pair of jack stands and the spare tire. Jack the rear of the car up and support the rear of the cradle with the stands. Place the spare tire on the floor jack with the outboard side of the wheel on the support cup on the jack. block the front wheels to prevent rolling. Center the spare tire while on the jack, below the aft portion of the fuel tank and passenger and driver tub area. Make sure the jack is under the car at an angle to reduce the ability for it to turn over on it's side and jack the car up after securing the engine with the engine hoist. The lifting pressure will be focused on the tub area of the vehicle. I have used this method more times than I can recall without any damage to the vehicle or near mishaps. I place other support objects under the vehicle for safety. This method lifts the car well above engine height when lowered onto the hoist legs which makes it easy to roll the entire assembly from under the car.

I've had mine in and out for various reasons a few times.
I usually put the front wheels up on car ramps and jack up the rear with a two ton HD floor jack and put jack stands under the frame directly in front of the forward cradle mounts.
I raise the car so I get a height of 42 inches from the top of the rear wheel well to the floor.
I use an engine hoist to lower the cradle directly onto the legs of the hoist and then roll it out the passenger side wheel well.
This has worked well for me in the past.
I can get the cradle,engine, trans, struts and axles out in less than two hours from driveable to disassembled.
I leave the struts attached to the knuckle to minimize the affect on the alignment.

tstroud

quote Originally posted by Joe Torma: Made my own lift

Very ingenious lift idea but I doubt if you will get the Fiero high enough to drop the cradle out and slide it away. I believe that the frame needs to be at least 40" off the ground for the cradle to be moved clear out.

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87GT 3.4 Turbo Best 0-60 5.2 seconds
http://turbofiero.fierojoe.com/turbo.htm

Thank you
I think I will be going with ramps for the front wheels and an engine hoist to lift the back of the car.. is that safe enough?

Joe's system reminds me of something I have been looking at. Sams's Club carries a motorcyle lift jack. It has a broad flat lifting surface like a transmission jack and I think it will lift high enough. It is rated at about 1500 lbs I think and doesn't cost much.
Might work, especially now that I see Joe's system.

quote Originally posted by Joe Torma: I ain't stooopid!

Joe, nobody said any such thing. Just that previous experience with those screw type jacks reveals them to be undependable and that when they fail it will be all at once and they will drop the load. Sorry if you mistook my comments.

A couple of these are from this thread: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/015798.html

Other one is from this one: https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/015714.html

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Mid Atlantic Fiero Owners Association
New England Fiero Association
Keystone State Chapter, P.O.C.I.
P.O.C.I.

[This message has been edited by Denny (edited 07-15-2002).]

I was a bit wary of the hoist kicking out from under my car, as well. Although I did lift the car briefly, with the (4cyl) cradle installed, it was just high enough to get the dollies under the cradle, with the wheels removed. I also didn't use the most "extended" position on the boom.
That's also why I only blocked the fronts of the front wheels. As I raised the hoist, I wanted the car to roll back to meet it. I didn't want the car to try to pull the hoist forward.
Whatever method you use, it's important that you never get under the car when it's only supported by a hoist or jack(s). Wait until you have your support structure in place.

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Raydar

From the Department of Redundancy Department.

quote Originally posted by Purr-fections: Joe, nobody said any such thing. ....when they fail it will be all at once and they will drop the load. Sorry if you mistook my comments.

I sorry too...

For safety, I picked the jacks that could lift 2+ fieros individually!!!!

Dennis... Whaddya mean it wont work! This was already used to put my engine in!!! It got plenty high enough.

You can see that the car is way up there and its not even half of the jack's lift height.

A motorcycle jack won't work...my dad has 2. They have a real small jack area and they don't go that high. Plus the engineless fiero is still "very" heavy maybe 2200lbs.

[This message has been edited by Joe Torma (edited 07-15-2002).]

WOW.. Either you guys over engineer things, or I am a shadetree mechanic through and through

When I do swaps, or clutches, or what not, I only use my Cherry picker, 2 jack stands, and 2 blocks of wood.

1) Block front wheels front and back so it doesnt roll front or rear. Slide the cherry picker in under the rear of the car, so that the arm is lying on the trunk essentially. Attach the hook from the picker unto the cradle, Directly straight down in the middle. There are some holes cut in the cradle that look like a "D" with the straight side down. Hook that up, then lift the car all the way to the top. Trunk is usually 6" in the air.

2) Put the jacks on the blocks of wood (6" thick) then place those jacks in front of where the cradle bolts are. Theres a flat spot where they go just perfect.

3) Lower the car down onto the jack stands, then lower the cherry picker so that the chain is not supporting the car anymore, yet still is attached. Only like 1" loose.

4) Run into, push, rock, etc etc etc to make sure the car is stable.

5) Move the cherrypicker to the engine lift points, disconnect a) top strut mounts (3) b) fuel/power/AC/Coolant/Clutch/brake lines Onplug computer and route into engine, then place ontop of engine c) take out 4 cradle bolts, and lower onto Cherry picker. Slide out Cherry Picker.

6) Assembly is reverse of this. This is WAY simple to do, and rock solid. Sometimes those cradles are a PITA to get back in, and doing it my way, I'm not afraid to really muscle that thing back in with the Cherry Picker. In fact, I just dropped the car back onto its wheels yesterday!

Any more info, just PM me or Mail!

-Karl

you all make it look so easy, I want to pull my engine out just to see if I can do it!!!

I guess I have way too many tools (or is that toys?) at my disposal. When I pull the engine I use a 2-post car lift, and a gas powered forklift with a pallet on the forks. Extremely easy to pull a motor this way. In & out in a mater of hours.

I JUST removed my 4cyl from my 86 coup. I will get the pics developed and post them soon.

A 6 foot 4X4 fence post on a 2-ton floor jack across the bottom of the car just ahead of the front cradle mounts. Got the whole thing positioned with the cradle sitting on a furniture dolly. Took the cradle bolts out and raised the body. I had enough room to roll the engine/trans out without removing extra parts and the floor jack probably had a few more inches to go.

Body is now sitting on the same 4X4 resting on the furniture dolly (easy to push into corner of garage to save space). Now if I could just quit buying other crap I will get a 4.9L in there before the boards holding the car up rot and turn to dust

I used huge railroad ties. They are relatively cheap and the hardware store charged only $15 to deliver them. These things are heavy & excellent for wedging underneath n getting the ass of the fiero way up in the air. I used a thick wooden round tablehead mounted to a dolly to wheel that engine around.
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