Just wondering what other people have done in the past for dollys. anyone have some exact dimensions for wood? I'm wanting to make 2 for my motors tomorrow or the next day. Thanks
------------------ Ferrari 308 GTB rebody on a modified 86SE chasis Soon to have a highly hooped up 3800SC..Ohh yeah baby!! Contacts _ AIM / Zildjianfx _ Yahoo / djdraggin Remember, always brush your milk, drink your teeth, dont do sleep and get eight hours of drugs.
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02:56 AM
PFF
System Bot
FieroBUZZ Member
Posts: 3320 From: Ontario, Canada Registered: Feb 2001
I used steel square tube. It's probably 2'x3' and sits on heavy steel wheels. This helps with an engine swap a lot!!! If you need pics, I could dig it out.
Kris
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07:42 AM
ltlfrari Member
Posts: 5356 From: Wake Forest,NC,USA Registered: Jan 2002
I use a furniture dolly from Home Depot I got for $20 CDN. Probably couldn't buy the wood and casters for that.
Works fine.
Ditto. Iadded some 4x4s to the top so that the engine sits above the legs of the cherry picker. That way I can move the engine on the dolly whilethe crane is still in place. Makes putting the engine back in a LOT easier than sitting it on the legs of the crane.
I use a pallet with casters I got from Harbor Freight, on sale. The pallet was free and the castors cost about $20. You have to get a pallet that has 4X4's on the corners.
wow.. nice.. what do you do far as getting a cherry picker under the car though? is it better to have it lower? well time to go put mine together.. Thanks
I don't use an engine hoist to raise the car, I use two floor jacks:
Note, my dolly was designed to fit the '88 cradle which is very flat on the bottom. The earlier cradles might require some additional pieces to work. Dimensions you can get from the dolly, I just measured between the rails and cut the angles to space the tubes the same distance. One thing I would do different is come up with a different wheel arrangment, on this one the swivel castors don't go all the way around, that makes changing direction a little complicated.
JazzMan
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11:57 PM
May 11th, 2004
shop_rat45 Member
Posts: 3271 From: Lapeer, Michigan Registered: Mar 2004
IMO unless you are pulling the engine from a front engine rwd car, cherry pickers are useless. The legs always get in the way. I have always used overhead hoist (chain fall?) They have worked great. If anyone knows the trick to using a cherry picker, I'd love to hear it.
A member (I think), Rick Kauffmann posted about one in summer of '03, sent me the drawings, and a nice assembly description, but alas I use a MAC and don't know how to post the non-text . But the whole thing can be Copy/pasted into an e-mail.
Norm
P.S. : This is for an '88 cradle, but I'm sure could be adjusted for the earlier style.
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12:20 AM
86GT3.4DOHC Member
Posts: 10007 From: Marion Ohio Registered: Apr 2004
I've got a come-along mounted to a joist in my garage for lifting, then I just slide the cradle back 10 feet to where I have another come-along for removing the engine. Its like a Fiero assembly line
...If anyone knows the trick to using a cherry picker, I'd love to hear it.
Kris
I disconnect all the wires and hoses and the three nuts at the tops of the shock towers, take the back wheels off, and lower the entire rear of the car onto the furniture dolly with a floor jack. I then unbolt the cradle and use the cherry picker to raise the rear of the car off of the cradle. You have to remove the rear fascia, and lift the car by the steel bumper bar.
------------------ Raydar 88 3.4 coupe........... Coming soon... 88 Formula, presently under the knife. Read Nealz Nuze!
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12:59 AM
DjDraggin Member
Posts: 2854 From: St Louis, MO. USA Registered: Feb 2003
how sweet is this??? while drilling my first hole my bro comes out and ask what I'm doing. I tell him and he says hes got a better plan. he has a bunch of these dollys 2'x4' just like the angle iron one above. and I'm getting 3 of them tomorrow!!
Sweeet.. now all I need is air conditioning!!! Shew it gets hot in the garage!! which BTW only has 8' ceilings. they are 2' thick solid concrete ceilings but a chain lift would do me no good.. heck I'm not even sure about the picker but it came free with my 3800SC. Thank you all so much for the help. luv this place!....
Top of photo is top of garage.. theres a large patio on the side of the house above the garage. its sweet!!
------------------ Ferrari 308 GTB rebody on a modified 86SE chasis Soon to have a highly hooped up 3800SC..Ohh yeah baby!! Contacts _ AIM / Zildjianfx _ Yahoo / djdraggin Remember, always brush your milk, drink your teeth, dont do sleep and get eight hours of drugs.
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02:07 AM
$Rich$ Member
Posts: 14575 From: Sioux Falls SD Registered: Dec 2002
HA HA thats great DjDraggin has got his laptop and PFF on inside the garage. WoW How many others do this. I like this idea i just dont have a laptop yet. LOL
------------------ fast and reckless
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07:16 PM
Dave Rodabaugh Member
Posts: 278 From: Columbus, OH Registered: Feb 2002
IMO unless you are pulling the engine from a front engine rwd car, cherry pickers are useless. The legs always get in the way. I have always used overhead hoist (chain fall?) They have worked great. If anyone knows the trick to using a cherry picker, I'd love to hear it.
Kris
I don't agree. I built a cradle dolly that is shaped to fit perfectly between the legs of my engine hoist. At 1/2" higher than the legs, the cradle drops right onto the dolly.
I raise the car with jacks and put it on jackstands. I roll the hoist under the car with the dolly between the legs. I chain the engine, and lower the cradle onto the dolly. I then quickly and easily pull the hoist out of the way, and finish raising the car with two jacks, two nailed 2 x 4's, and some cement patio blocks.
Lift car in air w/picker, set on tall jackstands in front of cradle. Take out 4 cradle bolts, 6 strut mount bolts, disconnect all fuel, disconnect computer and push all elec lines to top of motor, disconnect battery and associated lines, disconnect A/C lines, 4 heater lines, 2 brake lines, and one e-brake adjuster. Lower cradle assembly to legs of cherry picker, and roll the whole mess out. Set cradle on 4x4 nailed to 2x4 (3 of them, one at each front corner, one centered in the rear, all on cradle) and then lower Fiero back down to safer height. IE: Rear end NOT 6' in air.
Installation is just reverse. Can have the motor out in a couple hours time, back into car in less time then it takes to remove. Seems taking out those front 2 "hinge" cradle bolts are always a pain.
Now, if someone could just get a good way to yank a V6 out the top, w/out disconnecting and tearing it down so far.
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06:01 AM
PFF
System Bot
Rickady88GT Member
Posts: 10649 From: Central CA Registered: Dec 2002
Wow cherry pickers are useless? That all depends on the type/brand you use. I used a cherry picker MAAAAAAAAAANY times to take out my engines. I have also used the "out the top method" and will not do it like that again. I also have the furature dolly.
