Automotive to Aviation engine-stand conversion
I realize that talking about engine-stands might not be as exciting a topic as some previous ones, but if you think you will ever find yourself needing to rotate or transport a Lycoming engine, this episode will give you a quick and efficient way of doing so (some fabrication required), and if you were also so inclined as to endure the headaches of a new fuel injection installation (I'd suggest bringing your fuselage home), then this homemade "accessory" would prove itself a real life saver.
Last time, we abandoned JT's engine at the hangar on a wooden 2×4 support structure suspended from two sawhorses. This is okay temporarily, but definitely not ideal for many reasons.
We might, for example, want to be able to transport this engine home, and wouldn't wanna to lose it down the highway, or have it come crashing through the rear window because it is not securely bolted down.
We might also need to rotate the heavy engine every so often in order to flow engine oil to the top of the crankcase, where the delicate camshaft lives, thus staving off internal rust in the very hot and humid coastal climate.
To make the latter happen, I borrowed intake and exhaust covers from my buddy Mike Beasley, purchased six gallons of inexpensive automotive oil, and poured it in the oil filler port until it started leaking out somewhere. Five gallons is all I could get into it, so I poured the rest of it into the spark plug holes, filling up all cylinders with motor oil (wouldn't recommend this last part since it multiplied the leaks I would be cleaning up for the next 12 months).
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Intake and exhaust covers
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By this point the vast majority of the engine's internal components was completely submerged in oil, all except the critical camshaft at the highest point of a Lycoming. Rotating the engine often is the solution for this, but first I had to mount the engine on a borrowed automotive engine-stand that, while capable to support this type of a load, was never designed to accept the Lycoming bolt pattern.
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A three legged engine-stand is about as good an idea as an offroad three-wheel ATV
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"Any questions?!"
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I would not recommend the three legged stand at all, and I later purchased a four legged version from Harbor Freight, as well as a shop crane.
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Much more stable. Ditch the supplied handle for a much longer lever.
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This folding crane is definitely a must-have
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As you might imagine, this was a pretty high priority sub-project, because delay would spell corrosion, and corrosion inexorably leads to premature engine failure, and expensive engine tear-down and overhaul.
Still scratching my head on how to mate the two incompatible structures, I got a good tip on how to do it from my friend Wade Parton. Some fabri-cobbling would be required, but I saw it as a vindication of my foresight in purchasing and learning how to use a welder a few years back.
“I knew that would have come in handy one day!” 😁
So, I purchased some angle iron from Home Depot, sanded the mill scale off of it for better welding performance, and cut it into two main sections, and four small angle pieces.
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Making EZ work out of cutting steel
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The two angles will make up the body of the interface
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The latter would be welded to the former in order to capture JT’s engine-mount geometry.
Let me show you how I did that...
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Long angles and small angle pieces capturing the lower mount geometry
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A few tack-welds
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Double checking the fit before full welding
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One side finished
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Other side
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Back for a final fit
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Finished lower interface
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Doing the same for the top side of the engine-mount
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All angles tightly held
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I skipped to the end here, after welding and drilling the angles.
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Because of the hole locations, this interface will only fit JT, and will be forever paired with her.
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A little primer and some galvanized hardware from Lowes, and I had a working prototype.
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This is what I was shooting for
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Time for a test fit to adjust the movable arms of the stand to match the engine-mount.
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Getting the stand and mount to match
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Next time it would be for real.
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Angles and engine-mount securely attached to the engine
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Lifting the ensemble off the temporary wooden structure
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Finally on a "proper" stand
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Oil leaks were a constant companion
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Rotation problem solved!
Here’s how (please excuse the terrible audio)…
With the magnitude of work I had planned for JT, there was no way I’d travel 40 minutes one way to the hangar every day during a pandemic, so I decided to bring JT home once again.
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JT headed home again for the long surgery
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This was just as COVID started becoming a problem
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Unfortunately for the wing that I was building in the garage for my other LongEZ project (aka #2), JT’s sudden arrival meant a mad scramble to find a new temporary storage location for the delicate foam wing. My uber-understanding wife allowed me to bring it in the house. She’s definitely a keeper!
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Chris excited to help with #2's right wing
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I'm calling this an "objet d'art"
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The garage doors had to be slightly modified to allow JT in, which barely slipped in sideways, after receiving the usual blood sacrifice from my battered right hand used as a human shield against the wood trim.
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How I wish I had one big garage door right now
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Having JT at the house is sooo convenient
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The important thing was that JT was inside, finally safe, and without a scratch. Flesh wounds heal anyway 🩸 🏥 😖.
Eventually, even driving to the hangar every few days to rotate the engine started to become a real chore, so the decision was made to create some more room in the garage, and bring JT’s engine home as well.
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Cutting recesses for the bolt heads
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Bolt heads have to be countersunk for this to work
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Engine is ready for the trailer now
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JT's engine looks ready for some trick skiing 😂
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Anyway😒...lowering the engine onto the trailer.
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I added wood screw to attach it to the trailer so that it wouldn't slip
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Then added a bunch of straps to inhibit tilting
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Engine made it home unscathed
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New crane handled it all easily
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Chris removing the "skis"
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Finally ready to rest this case
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Note the long steel bar used to flip the engine after ditching the short one.
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| I eventually moved the engine to the new stand |
With JT’s engine now sitting in my heated and air conditioned garage, I would have complete control over the environment, and rotating it would be done more frequently, and with less effort.
A win-win in my book.
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