6 replies to this topic

[minilotus]

Hi all, haven't been on here for a while as have been busy restoring my Mini advantage. I now have a very shiney car with shiney subframes fitted and a shiney engine sat on the bench waiting to be reunited with the car, I originally took it all apart with engine and subframe together lifting the car over. My question is can i put everything on the engine ie radiator, carb, alternator etc ( in fact everything ?)and lift the engine in from above? I have a crane and all the gear but having little experience with mini's, any help would be gratefully accepted to avoid any damage and frustration!

[Stiggytoo]

I would leave the front of the engine as bare as possible to avoid damage, unless you have a decent lifting device. It will also be quicker in the long run as you won't be faffing about trying to shoehorn it all in. The rad can be fitted prior to dropping the engine in.

[IainNeon91]

This is how I done mine mate, should give you a good idea...

 

 

When dropping the engine in, don't forget about little things like putting the speedo cable on. It can be a pigs bottom to put on with the engine in! haha

 

Good luck mate, don't forget to post some pictures of the finished product on the forum!

 

Iain

[Cooperman]

I always build my engines as completely as possible 'on the bench' before installing. This includes, fan & radiator, alternator, fan belt (tightened), distributor (timed), exhaust manifold, starter motor, rocker cover and top & bottom hoses.

There is sufficient space to drop it in, but use some protective covering on the top lip of the front panel to prevent any possible scratching.

[minilotus]

Thanks guys, thats just as I expected, there is no definitive answer wish me luck! I have an idea of which way i'll go and will post some pics later today if all goes well.

 

Barry

[Icey]

I tend to go for the opposite of Cooperman.

 

I've got a decent hydraulic crane but I still want the engine in the air for as little time as possible and do anything possible to mitigate the risk to myself or the car.

 

Anything that's likely to slow or make the engine dropping into the frame awkward is going to come off. That typically means manifolds, carbs, dizzy and cooling components (rad etc..).

None are difficult to fit afterwards, even speedo cables can be done with the engine in.

[minilotus]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that was a good day I really do appreciate all your advice but did tend towards your method cooperman. I already had an engine bar that I had made to fit the engine in my Lotus Excel so I welded some new lugs on to match the lifting bracket spacings of the  brackets that I had attached to the front outer head bolts on the engine.

One clue I had picked up on from you guys was that tilting the engine was a good idea so I attached the orange ratchet strap around the diff and under the sump back up to the crane, this allowed me to angle the engine for the first part until the diff was below the bulkhead. As you can see there were plenty of blankets and tape etc for protection which resulted in a scratch free entry

 

I can truely recommend this method, apart from the carb every other ancillary was on the engine and with patience and care and even on my own it went like a dream! A day of connecting and hopefully she will be fired up again today for the first time this year!