Boring Shop Crane Question

[VAroute66]

I looked through as many historical threads as I could. When you remove an engine with the transmission (manual) from a C2, will a regular 2 ton shop shop crane with a 63 in. boom length be able to pull the engine from the front? Does anyone know what that minimum reach would be that I would need to remove from the front. It seems that all the examples I have read/seen come in from a front corner. There are some non-standard shop cranes that have about 76 in. boom reaches but they are considerably more expensive.
Thanks for your help.

V/R
VAroute66

 

[Tom Bryant]

I don't have a C2 but I measure 58" (EDIT on a '81) from the point of the front bumper to the center bolt in the carb. That would still be ahead of the balance point with the trans on but with one of those engine balancing lift devices you would be able to adjust your balance and angle of lift. I would think that a C2 would be a shorter distance from the front to the carb center. Measure it and see. Keep in mind where your lift front main beam supports are when measuring. That will be as close in as you can push the crane.

Tom

 

[VAroute66]

Tom,

Thank you as always.

V/R
VAroute66

 

[JohnZ]

The front edge of the front bumper on a midyear is 48" forward of the centerline of the carburetor. I've always put the car on jackstands, removed the left front wheel, and pulled/installed from the side.

 

[Tom Bryant]

Thanks John,

Re-reading my post I see that I left out that my measurement was on my '81.

Tom

 

[VAroute66]

John and Tom,

Thanks! I actually borrowed a crane and verified that if you drop the chain outside the front of the boom vice straight down it might reach carb center. The hydraulic jack would be so close to the nose that you could not fit the jacking bar past the bumper to operate the lift. Even if you did manage to hook it up, it would be hard not to hit the car. You would need a crane boom length of about a foot more to do this comfortably. I found one with a boom length of 76 in. It is Model Number AFF-3580A. It is about $400.00 as compared to a Harbor Freight Crane with a 60 in. boom for about $175.00. I did a lift of my engine and found that it was very difficult to move the crane loaded up. I really could not budge it. Maybe the best bet would be the shorter crane with larger wheels, say 6 to 8 in. wheels to role more easily and remove the engine from the side. Thank you for helping me get there.

Best Regards,
Dan