Ford 302 V8 Engine Cradle

[gregski]

dang too many forums, I had no idea where to drop this

I got tired of working on my engine in the corner of my garage on some wood blocks without being able to move it so I broke down and bought an engine cradle on wheels. Saw one on Amazon for $70 bucks, then checked again and it was 40% off so $30 bucks so I figured what the hell.

Now I'm not endorsing it, as it does feel a bit flimzy, I'm just sharing some pics of how it looked when it arrived and when assembled.

As seen on Amazon... [click here]

My original wooden stand, fully adjustible to any engine transmission combination, LOL.

 

[tx65coupe]

Thats cool. I have not seen one like that. It looks like its made well, and thats a damn good price. We have one of these that allows you to rotate the engine upside down.

Torin Big Red T24541 1000Lb Engine Repair Stand

 

[DanMan68]

Engine Cradle

I purchased one like this a few years ago to hold my original 289. Great product,may look wimpy but with engine installed it stiffens up a lot. Worth every penny spent.

 

[gregski]

Punt on this one!

Well I finally stuffed my engine into this cradle, and let me tell you it is a piece of crap. The holes did not align, I had to drill them out to elongate (sp) them to make them look oval for it to fit. It feels like it is made out of pot metal, you know the patio furniture cheap crap. And the grade 0 bolts for the cross bar bend, I had to use a hammer to straighten them out. Then worst of all it is not Mustang II friendly as I had to remove the passenger side exhaust manifold in order to mount the engine in this cradle. My recommendation is "Punt on this one!" here are some pics of the eninge outside getting some fresh air.

 

[hungrymonkey]

You would think that thing would have a cross bar on the front. Keep it from spreading out under load.

I need to build one pretty soon. I am pulling a 5.0 and aod off of a frame so I can mount some body parts. I was hoping to keep the engine complete while I pulled it off.

I figured some 1" square tubing and some harbor freight castors.

 

[Realmongo]

You would think that thing would have a cross bar on the front. Keep it from spreading out under load.

I need to build one pretty soon. I am pulling a 5.0 and aod off of a frame so I can mount some body parts. I was hoping to keep the engine complete while I pulled it off.

I figured some 1" square tubing and some harbor freight castors.

You could probably buy one for the cost of building one. Those things are pretty cheap now ($32.95 on eBay).

 

[72mustang]

A few well placed flat bars welded in a t shape on the cradle will do wonders to solidify it.When I bought my engine stand {the ones with 2 wheels at the back and one in the front}I thought it was to flimsy also. Welded some stiffeners to it
and it is as solid as ever.{though the are risky for tipping over}Should of bought one with four wheels but I got the only thing they had a the store.the engine was in my wheel barrow so I needed one fast.

 

[hungrymonkey]

You could probably buy one for the cost of building one. Those things are pretty cheap now ($32.95 on eBay).

needs to hold the engine and tranny. Not sure if the one posted would be able to hold without tipping.

 

[CarFreakGT]

Any thoughts on this one on e-bay? I'll hopefully be pulling the 302 out of my 68 to do some suspension and body work this summer or fall. I would prefer a stand, but the cradle may be better for me. I have a 2- and a 5-year-old running around. If there's a way to tip it, they may figure it out.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e..._trkparms=algo=LVI&its=I&otn=1&category=63700

EDIT: I'm thinking I should probably say, "never mind." Upon closer inspection, that may very well be the exact same cradle that the OP posted.