There have been some questions in the past about suitable stands and how best to mount to them. The first time mine was done years back I used the smaller HF 1k stand and found it truly awful in a couple respects.
I decided to try the 2k one this time, about 100 bucks with a 20% off coupon which is easy enough to find. It’s a fine match for the XK. The one issue I will point out is that the legs are splayed for better support and this makes it a little challenging to mesh up with a crane which will also have splayed legs. Plan on a creative workaround.
There were also some different ideas on how to best mount it so that only the larger block holes are used instead of having to resort to bolting to the block extensions. It was quite easy but one arm had to be bolted in an unconventional fashion, essentially just using the arm as a spacer. It’s quite well balanced this way and with enough grease packed in the swivel joint it rotated without much effort.
[quote=“Erica_Moss, post:1, topic:377844”]
It’s quite well balanced this way and with enough grease packed in the swivel joint it rotated without much effort.
One somewhat obvious issue seems to be there isn’t a real need to have the head on.
I have one of these, don’t like the tilted angle and the binding it causes trying to rotate the engine, but it’s good enough. Eyeballing the center of gravity is usually good enough to not get a lopsided load. As with all things HF, figure the actual capacity is half of the advertised capacity. I believe these are rated at 2000 pounds, not 2 tons.
Years ago I bought my stand at Northern Tool; probably made in the same factory in China.
After I used it I modified the piece that rotates in the large circular neck by sanding off all the paint and smoothing the metal. I then bought some brass sheeting just thick enough to ill the annular space when the two parts are assembled. It’s epoxied in place inside the outer pipe. I’m thinking the brass will act more as a bearing surface and since the slop is now taken out of the fit it will be easier to turn with an engine on it. I ought to drill and tap a hole and install a grease fitting.
I guess there is a difference between need and desire. The pan may be flat a long but that doesn’t make it super stable for torquing a head or a nice height for setting up the cams or tappet gaps.
I purchased an engine test stand from a company called EasyRun in Orange County, CA several years ago and have successfully used it a few times for my Jaguar XK engine removals, refurbishments, and installations. Most recently I used it to build up the replacement 4.2L EFI engine for my 1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas. It is very safe to work around, is easily moved, and is adjustable for a variety of purposes. It comes with a fuel tank, a panel to mount instruments, and a place to mount a battery and a radiator although I have not actually run an engine on it outside a car yet. I plan to run the 3.4L XK engine for my 1957 MK VIII restoration project outside the car before I install it.
I have two of those Harbor Freight stands to temporarily store engines awaiting work, but prefer my engine test stand when doing any serious work on the engine. It is also capable of holding a Jaguar V12 engine and transmission if I needed to do that for one of our two V12 Jaguars.
I have no affiliation with EasyRun other than as a satisfied customer.
