BMW engine dolly ideas ???

[John Buchtenkirch]

I’m breaking a rotted out 1985 535 for parts. Could someone post a photo of what they use as an engine dolly to move the engine around ? I’m not looking for an engine stand to rotate it for rebuilding it, I just want some ideas :idea: on a low simple dolly to move it around on a concrete floor. THANKS ~ John Buchtenkirch

 

[Arde]

Discovered it a couple of years ago, in fashion in our area:

http://www.crossfit.com/

 

[Sven]

The front subframe sitting on a sheet of plywood resting on a moving dolly.

 

[dave v. in nc]

hello dolly

PM sent

 

[JFENG]

get one of those $40 SBC dollys from summit

then a bit of cutting and welding to allow it to use the stock motor mounts.

As far as a working engine stand goes, the HF stuff is ok but not very good. Sags under the weight of a BMW M30, hard to rotate, caster suck

Try to get a professional quality unit (OTC 1726, for example).
Find these on CL for $100.

 

[John Buchtenkirch]

I was just looking to see how people kept the slant 6 from rolling over on its side. I’ve got several V6 Buicks sitting on furniture dollies with plywood decks added and no problems. I’ll figure out something but I tend to over build & over engineer things plus just spend too much time. Love those time saving ideas :idea: that make you think “now, why didn’t I come up with that”. Thanks for putting up with me. ~ John Buchtenkirch

 

[JFENG]

pic of engine dolly

What I like about these is that they're sturdy, roll well, and compact (if you're storage space is tight. Plus, this little dolly lets you work on most of the engine (just can't drop the sump), which is nice when you're prepping it for an install.

 

[jamesw]

I use the furniture dollies you can buy at Home Depot to store and roll engines around. They are $20-$40. Block one side of the engine with 4x4's to keep it upright.

HTH
James

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

John, if you want I have a spare sub frame I can send you, might cost a few bucks to ship but I get good rates and when you're done you could ship it back on my account and pay the discounted rate. Give me your zip and I'll let you know how much it will be, and might even be cheaper if you have a commercial address.

Peter

 

[John Buchtenkirch]

Thanks for the help guys. Once I pulled off the bell housing I knew exactly what to do. I put a second come-along on the engine to make it almost upright and quickly fabricated some frame-work to hold it that way. A block of wood under the pan edge at the front of the engine completed the job. Little Frankie (an Italian leprechaun) came over this past Sunday and helped me wheel it across 70 feet of concrete without incident to be stored in my mom’s furnace room. It sits with pretty good company (as far as 6 cylinder engines go), a 86 turbocharged Buick gran national and a 3800 supercharged Buick. Nothing ended up broken :-D and no one was hurt….. I just love it when a plan goes well. ~ John Buchtenkirch