New K-Member Dolly

[The Engineer]

I've been planning to build this for awhile and finally got it done today. I think this is the ultimate K-Member Dolly to drop the engine and tranny out the bottom! The K-Member and tranny sits down on the support points, then everything rolls around on the dolly with heavy-duty casters.

What do you think?

WD


http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr128/TheEngineer1/Kdolly1.jpg?t=1227571832


http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr128/TheEngineer1/Kdolly2.jpg?t=1227571911

Front supporting the K-Member


http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr128/TheEngineer1/Kdolly3.jpg?t=1227572012

Rear supporting the Tranny pan.

[Ryle]

:tt1:looks nice, Sure could use one of those later this winter, I got a engine to pull

[Tyler Wheat]

Pics aren't working for me...

I'd like to see what you've got though....

[The Engineer]

Photoworks is where I have my photos web-hosted, so I'm not sure what is currently going on with the site? Possibly it is down for maintenance?

WD

[Stroked96Bowtie]

Yeah Id like to see it too...Im about to do a motor swap and might give me a few ideas. Will check back later.

[The Engineer]

I fixed the photo problem by getting a new web-hosting site (PhotoBucket now).

Warren

[AChotrod]

Good idea! Thats will make thing 10x easier!

[96lt1m6]

that's a nice looking tool you have constructed.
i would add some diamond plate to it,but really nice.

[RumbleZ]

It's always cool to see what others have put together, thanks for posting.

Here's a few pics of my setup:
first one is a little blurry sorry about that
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z280/rumblez28/ETdolly4.jpg

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z280/rumblez28/ETdolly3.jpg

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z280/rumblez28/ETdolly2.jpg

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z280/rumblez28/ETdolly1.jpg

I started with a pair of Harbor Freight 1000-pound miniture Furniture dollies for twenty bucks. Then I added some 2x4's and some flatboard to get the height where I wanted. I made them high enough that I can slide my engine hoist below the a-arms as you can see in the second pic. I hook the hoist up to the engine just as a safety catch, engine and trans comes down nice and steady though so it's not really needed. Still not a bad idea to have a safety if it's available though. Both of my jacks are low enough that they slide right under the dollies. That works out great, I just lower the engine and trans, the wheels of the dollies hit the floor and I roll the jacks out.

I thought about making a single unit but decided I would rather have a little flexibility and just have two smaller pieces. I can seperate the transmission and just roll it away on it's own and leave the engine sitting on the k-member, just have to support the rear of the k-member with a little jackstand in the meantime. I may make a couple small supports on wheels for the k-member for that scenario sometime, just so the engine wouldn't have to be stationary at that point. I've got another one of the mini dollies I am setting up for the rearend. For the engine dolly, I'm also going to make a second platform for the top that will support the tubular k-member in there now a little better.

Here's some platforms I put together for my jackstands to get the front of the car up high enough:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z280/rumblez28/jackstandplatform1.jpg

Those are the larger 6ton jackstands sitting on 7-1/2" platforms. 2x6's on the top and then 2x4's in a stacked fashion around the perimeter. The platforms were sized so that the legs of the jackstand are centered on the 2x4's as they meet in all the corners of the first 4 layers. That makes them basically solid all the way to the floor directly under the jackstand load points, but with the grain of the wood running a different direction on every other layer. The car sat on them with the engine/trans in there and I was happy to see the jackstands didn't leave any marks or indentions on the platforms where they were sitting. I did not leave them in there long though.

[The Engineer]

Really great photos and write-up!

One of my friends has a transmission shop with a two-column, swing-arm lift. But it is a lot of trouble to take the car over to his shop (on and off the trailer with the car not running).

So, I've also got a "shade-tree" plan for my shop without a lift. I plan on using my engine lift (possibly assisted with two floor-jacks) to lift the body frond-end up, leaving the K-Member, engine and tranning sitting on the dolly. Additionally, I'll first have the rear-end up on tall jack-stands.

I also have those same large jack-stands from Harbor Freight. :laugh:

Warren

[mpe331lx]

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z280/rumblez28/jackstandplatform1.jpg


Little girly stands!:jest:

I picked up a set of 12 ton stands from harbor freight:
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c22/mpe331lx/106_3962.jpg

Nice work on the cradles. I will definately fab one up for next time.

[RumbleZ]

Engineer, that sounds like a solid plan. And doesn't everyone have the orange 6 tonners from HF? :jest:

Holy crap that 12 ton stand look HUGE compared to the little toy jackstand sitting next to it!

[TCGiRL220]

very creative guys! looks neat...

[The Engineer]

Nice work on the cradles. I will definately fab one up for next time.

Wow, have you got everything balanced on that floor-jack up front? :face_shocked:

Warren

[The Engineer]

This is how I lift the body up-high off the K-Member, then roll the K-Member, engine and tranny out on the dolly. I use axel straps around the unibody front support panel connected to a 2" box-tubing bracket I made for my engine lift.

Warren

http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr128/TheEngineer1/100_0879.jpg?t=1228153833

http://i476.photobucket.com/albums/rr128/TheEngineer1/100_0877.jpg?t=1228153929

[RumbleZ]

looks good, I do the same thing to lift the car up high enough to roll the engine/trans out. I've been wanting to do a spreader bar setup like that for my hoist though, I had been just using some lift straps and it works okay but isn't ideal. Those axle straps along with the spreader bar look perfect for the task, and no worries about the straps wanting to pull towards the middle of the car like just using straps does.

Good work!

I like the color matched jackstands :jest: Guess I am not the only one that has had that thought, I figure if the car is going to spend as much (okay more) time sitting on jackstands as it is sitting on the ground on some wheels, they might as well match the car right? Although I was planning on hitting the insides of them too when I get around to doing mine :laugh:

[The Engineer]

I like the color matched jackstands :jest: Guess I am not the only one that has had that thought, I figure if the car is going to spend as much (okay more) time sitting on jackstands as it is sitting on the ground on some wheels, they might as well match the car right? Although I was planning on hitting the insides of them too when I get around to doing mine :laugh:

Those are actually "orange" Harbor Freight 5-ton jack-stands. :puke: Every tool in Harbor Frieght is organe. That is a pretty yucky orange color, so I painted them metalic gray.

Those eye-bolts on the 2" box-tubing are 1/2" forged and cost $15.00 each. Ouch!

Warren

[RumbleZ]

Yep I recognized the orange on the inside of them :laugh: I have a HF just over a mile from me, so I have quite a bit of HF orange around the garage. I agree it's not a good color!

Where'd the eye bolts come from?

[The Engineer]

Where'd the eye bolts come from?

From a local commerical fastener place, J&E Supply.

Warren

[mpe331lx]

Wow, have you got everything balanced on that floor-jack up front? :face_shocked:

Warren

LOL, it was supprisingly balanced and sturdy. I was more concerned with the rear jack on the trans and strepped it doen, just in case:)

I rolled it out of my garage, over the lip, onto the driveway and down the slight incline to the car by myself without a problem. (dont ask how I did with the 3.8 going up the slope:doh:)

[paul95z]

Am I the only one who noticed the rail car sittin next to Warrens?

[The Engineer]

Am I the only one who noticed the rail car sittin next to Warrens?

The dragster belongs to my oldest son, Shawn who was with me at the shoot-out in KC.

Personally, I'm a door-slammer person, but still enjoy going fast!

Warren