What to use to lift old engine out of car/lower new one in?

[philmar]

Not taking car to garage to have replacement engine fitted, since it cost more to have it fitted than the actual engine costs.

A friend of mine knows what he's doing but has to do it on the driveway, any hints & tips on whats needed & how much to hire if neccessary?

[Munter]

[philmar]

ive thought about it these last few weeks

[gti-ted]

An engine crane or 2 trolley jacks and axle stands will do the trick fella

[philmar]

ta very much, will have a look round over the weekend, hopefully get on with fixing the bloody thing.
Oh yes, must buy the engine too...

[DennisTheMenace]

get a proper engine hoist , they are around £20 to hire for a weekend , made doing mine a doddle started at 2pm engine in and running by dinner time .

[Holst]

DennisTheMenace said:

get a proper engine hoist , they are around £20 to hire for a weekend , made doing mine a doddle started at 2pm engine in and running by dinner time .

I agree 100%

A propper hoist makes it much faster and much safer.

[GreenV8S]

Not expensive to buy either, and having your own removes any worries about finishing the job in time to take the crane back.

[zac510]

Find a hire place that is closed on Sunday then they might let you hire it Sat-Mon for one day price

If you have a sturdy rafter in your shed (if you're lucky to have a shed!) you can buy a chain/pulley. These are a bit cheaper.

[franv8]

Trouble is with buying the engine crane - you need to keep it somewhere and they are large beasts (even the folding ones) for something hopefully you won't be using too often. I've hired/begged/borrowed/stolen (actually not the last one...) them in the past. Only other thought is to buy then sell on when you;ve finished.

I'd be a bit careful of secondhand ones, much of the stuff I've seen in photos looks like it would probably be suffering shot hydraulics, so I'd see and test first.

Beams -just be a bit careful and make sure it's VERY strong. There is a reasonable span on many and a new garage roof will cost a bit more than having the engine fitted.

Just my 2p worth...

As an alternative, although it will add time to the job, but putting the engine in as a short block will make a beam a lot safer, and allow you to change the head gasket (may be a good idea after DTM's experiences on here)