my bracket I made many many years ago works a treat

Lifts it out and allows the engine to tilt at the correct angle to get rod change gearboxes and even remote style gearboxes out with very little effort. Though you just need someone to be on the hoist, and someone sturdying the engine as it comes out if your worried about paint.

All it is is a piece of Mild steel bent at 90 deg to fit to the front head studs, with the upright piece slighty longer, and then wait for it.... yes an old steering rack U bolt welded to the top, for the hoist hook to go into. Nothing beats re using stuff from the mini whilst in the resto

Easy as pie.

_________________
Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

You will need to release the Top Ball joint (which you did mention) to do this.

_________________

This is how I do it too, on my own cars. To assist with the separation of the driveshaft and pot joint, I grind a small flat on the driveshaft shoulder, where the pointer is, to allow the screwdriver to get good purchase on the steel part of the inner pot joint. Always come apart easy.



Edit = fixed

_________________
Steve

If you are lifting out remote boxes it helps to have the lifting point in front of the head studs and not in line with them.
It is better to lift a remote box with a bracket made from a bit of angle than just a chain. The chain will work Ok on a rod change though.

How does one use just the chain? Are you saying to take the head nut off, put the final link of the chain over the stud and put the nut back on? Just seems a little strange to me.

Pretty much, but make sure you have a large thick washer and that its clamped on tight.

And once you have a chain link and a thick washer there is not a lot of treads left for a nut so you are probably better off with a bracket anyway.

This is my bracket, it needs a few tweaks, It is just a bit of steel angle with four holes drilled in it. Three holes go on head bolts (I am going to make the next one pick up on just two and miss the middle one) and the other hole is for the D shackle to go through. (was actually four holes drilled in a square pattern and the some cold chisel work to join the four holes into one big one.)



It really need to sit further away from the motor to tilt it more to clear the gearbox extension.

Does it make much difference to the lift angle if the alternatr / starter / radiator are all still attached?

No it doesn't make much difference.
The reason a remote needs more forward offset on the bracket is the diff casing sticks back further than a rodchange one.
I use mine for both remote and rodchange, it works great on both.

_________________
DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Might be a silly question but I will ask any way, the brackets look great for removing the engine, but would there be any issues when it comes to re-installing, ie you have built your nice new motor, torqued the head nuts down carefully in the right sequence, then you undo the front 2 or 3 nuts completely to fit the bracket, I realise you can re-torque those bolts again but would it result in uneven pressure on the head gasket? Or would you undo them all and re-torque them all again in the right sequence.

Well if you get the engine rebuilt, why not do it with longer studs so you don't have to take the nuts off?

An old tow rope slung under the flywheel casing at one end and the passenger-side engine mount at the other has always worked for me. Bring it all together at the top and tie it off slightly forward with a bit of slack. You just pull on the ropes as the engine lifts up to tilt it at the right angle.
I've never liked the idea of undoing the head studs on a nice new engine build, but there are plenty of people out there who've done it with no ill effect

_________________
Curly
'64 Cooper 'S' (Group Nb spec)
'67 Mini Marcos GT www.mm7056.wordpress.com

That is why I use the chain. It does not require a complete head un-tension and re-tension.

_________________

So using a chain between studs 2 and 4 is much better than using a bracket between studs 2 and 4 because you don't have do a full re-tension? How does that work?

I have not lifted a Mini engine out for many years, but back in the days when I had my S motor in and out almost on an annual basis the above method was what I used to do, never had any problems doing it that way.