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Section 43: Hanging engine

Stockmanreef

Well Known Member
I read through Section 43 and I have a few questions:

1. Should I hang the engine myself? If not solo, then how many extra people should I have around to help? Or should I get a person who has put on and engine help out? Maybe an A&P?

2. Are there any items that are not in the plans that should be mounted to the fire wall or to the engine prior to hanging? I am going with the dual pmags and I still have to mount the second pmag?

3. Where do you get bolt hole bullets for aligning the holes to get the bolts to slide through easier? I assume that these are also called drift pins. Are they needed?

4. Is the following link, which describes a technique to hang an engine a good method?
http://www.vansairforce.net/articles/IllustratedGuideToEngineHanging/enginehanging.htm

Thanks
 
I read through Section 43 and I have a few questions:

1. Should I hang the engine myself? If not solo, then how many extra people should I have around to help? Or should I get a person who has put on and engine help out? Maybe an A&P?

2. Are there any items that are not in the plans that should be mounted to the fire wall or to the engine prior to hanging? I am going with the dual pmags and I still have to mount the second pmag?

3. Where do you get bolt hole bullets for aligning the holes to get the bolts to slide through easier? I assume that these are also called drift pins. Are they needed?

4. Is the following link, which describes a technique to hang an engine a good method?
http://www.vansairforce.net/articles/IllustratedGuideToEngineHanging/enginehanging.htm

Thanks

I got help from Vic Syracuse on this - not really a "two man" job (at least the hanging itself: having two sets of hands help when installing stuff on back of engine - and I'm a decent tool-fetcher) but his knowledge and expertise made the engine hanging go smoothly (like I said, my job was for second set of hands and tool fetcher). He brought tools - drift pins and modified wrench (section 3, page 2) for the engine mount nuts. Vic has done other posts on this - used two straps to position engine during the hanging process (see here on my blog: https://turnerb14a.blogspot.com/2018/11/big-day-today-progress-continues-on-all.html)

I would put ANYTHING that attaches to the rear accessory case on before hanging engine (this includes the second PMAG - also I'd attach the manifold pressure line (to PMAGs) before hanging engine. Getting to the bolts that attached my standby alternator (on vacuum pump pad) was a real pain - would have been much easier to do with back of engine fully exposed. I also did remote oil filter - the adapter for this would have been many times easier to install before hanging the engine (access to nuts/bolts). With dual pmags your routing for oil lines to the oil cooler may be different (and lengths may be different) so think about that ahead of time - not too hard to attach the lines but the clocking or choice of fittings might be different.
 
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I read through Section 43 and I have a few questions:

1. Should I hang the engine myself? If not solo, then how many extra people should I have around to help? Or should I get a person who has put on and engine help out? Maybe an A&P?

2. Are there any items that are not in the plans that should be mounted to the fire wall or to the engine prior to hanging? I am going with the dual pmags and I still have to mount the second pmag?

3. Where do you get bolt hole bullets for aligning the holes to get the bolts to slide through easier? I assume that these are also called drift pins. Are they needed?

4. Is the following link, which describes a technique to hang an engine a good method?
http://www.vansairforce.net/articles/IllustratedGuideToEngineHanging/enginehanging.htm

Thanks

1. I attached the engine mount frame to my engine solo. 15 min. [the engine was hanging on the lift]
2. The engine and mount can easily be reattached to the fuse, so it can come off and on to address clearances and install things more easily. That said, after removing a lot of things after installed, it can be done with some self training.
3. Cleaveland Tools suggested, Avery made mine.
4. Common sense works. The key geometric concept is that the mounts are "pointed" to a focal point. The closer you are to the point the shorter the legs - meaning. . after installing two bolts, snug them down a little then the third. The fourth went in just as easy as the others. No forcing needed but the alignment pins were very useful.

Figuring out how to get all the bolts torqued and cotter pins installed was 45 min.
 
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I did mine solo with a lift. I had to watch out to not pinch the small fuel line to #3 cylinder with a simple rig to the eyes. A spreader would have been better if I did it again.

Ditto on the stby alternator. Same if you are putting an upright filter attachment. The manifold pressure wasn't a big deal and I ended up doing it a few times with iterations of more installations/baffling. I did it all in Van's plans order.
 
You can do solo but get a 2nd person if at all possible, makes things easier for sure. One can be adjusting the lift while the other tries to insert the bolts through the mounting pucks.

Mount as much as you can to rear of engine before hanging, makes life much easier.

You shouldn't need drift pins, alignment has been very good for most builders I have talked to or read their blogs.

Just remember to put the mount rubber pucks in the proper location, top vs bottom and it will be an hour at most for 2 people to have the engine on and bolts torqued.
 
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This is an activity that can be done solo. A helper helps a lot. I've done it both ways and it took about the same time - a half hour or hour. It isn't a bad job, but you probably want a load leveler to help out. There's a decent one on Amazon for <$20. I've used mine on the engine and on the prop - very handy.

For drift pins, you can use phillips screwdrivers to align things, and make your own pins out of the appropriately sized bolt. Just cut the heads off and smooth/round the threaded end.

As far as the bolts go, put the top ones in first. Use the weight/leverage of the engine to compress the bottom mounts so it is easier to install those bolts.
 
what is the "engine mount wrench" that is mentions on 43-8? I looked in section 3 and did not see what the plans were talking about.
 
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