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Hello all,

Can anyone recommend a commercially available tilting engine stand for a 3 1/2 Sport? Please don't say "Build one yourself"!

Cheers

Trevor

If I had to make one I would try using wood because I have no easy access to welding gear. I have made various holding tools from wood including a rotor holding tool.But I am no woodworker either.Paul Compton uses a nice one in his videos.

I’d presumed I was the only person who’d made a rotor holding tool out of wood, but as you suggest John, it works fine and is a much easier material to work with for those of us who aren’t welders.

I doubt there is a commercially available stand specifically for a Morini engine. There are lots of stands available for motor cycle engine rebuilds a lot are under £100. Try Sealey or Draper. As the cases are vertically split, not sure if one would be of use until you have the cases together, as you would not be able to support one case through the engine mounting bolt holes. I bought a used engine which was mounted on a piece of plywood, with a block of wood cut away at the front and metal uprights at the back through which a bolt passed. This holds the engine square and means the top end and sides can be worked on with a stable, level bottom end.

I won't tell you to make your own, but you could ask a mate...

Mark wrote: ↑26 Apr 2021 14:31I’d presumed I was the only person who’d made a rotor holding tool out of wood...

A stick and two nails works.

For an engine stand, I've used square-tube cabinet legs and a couple of gate hinges on a piece of plank.

A quarter length of a railway sleeper - perfect.

I thought the stick and two nails approach was for curing constipation.
John

Unless you are a Mathematician in which case you work it out with a pencil!

I'm sure I showed the stand I made in one of my videos. Angle adjustable and allows the cases to be split.

Do NOT ask me to make you one, it's not going to happen.
Do NOT ask for drawings, there never were any.

I ended up buying a really cheap "Proworks" engine stand, which came from Poland. $110.00 AUD delivered to my door. I'd already contacted the supplier to get the dimensions, so I knew the motor would fit, however, I also knew surgery would be required to make it work (this gave me an excuse to buy a gasless MIG welder). This is what I got:



1st issue - the upright holders on the base were really crooked. I had to cut away two sides with an angle grinder

2nd issue - one of the outer uprights was shorter than the other. I had to add a piece of 4mm flat steel bar underneath it

3rd issue - the outer uprights had to be bolted/welded, which makes them a permanent part of the base. They are still a little crooked, but I can live with that

4th issue - the left hand engine mount on the inner cradle was too high. I cut this off with the trusty grinder, then added an "L" made from 4mm flat steel bar to the bottom left. I drilled & tapped this to M10. I sourced a 150mm M10 bolt, cut the head off, and attached this to the cradle with two nuts

5th issue - the right hand adjustable engine mount had a M8 stud that was too short. I sourced a 150mm M8 bolt, cut the head off, and attached this with two nuts

6th issue - the inner to outer cradle mounts were a little flimsy. I made up some bronze bushes, and used longer bolts

This is the final result:







I'm pretty chuffed with it. It makes storing & moving the engine an easy task. I can also turn the engine to the horizontal, which will be good for when my crankcase splitting tool arrives.

110 to buy - how much to fix? Still, you have a useful end-product. Hope the splitter is more straightforward.

Well, I bought a welder, but now I have a welder! The other bits & bobs probably came to less than $50.00.

Cheapest option is a used car tyre. Will hold steady at just about any angle and also very good for transporting engines in the rear of a car.

I love the creative and practical approach of using a used car tyre especially for transporting the engines. Thank you