Generation III Internal Engine 1997-2006 LS1 | LS6
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Cherry picker flipped over!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 03-23-2006, 12:00 AM
  #1  
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (22)
 
SStolen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Louisville, Ky
Posts: 1,621
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default Cherry picker flipped over!

The cherry picker holding my freshly built turbo motor with the trans attached just flipped over and landed straight on the balancer. I went ahead and threw it in anyway and you can actually see the balancer moving up and down from the crank being bent, minimal but there- I only let it run for a few seconds. Anyway, my engine builder who is crazy meticulous charges $500 for a rebuild and I think he said he has to basically rebuild the engine again. The pistons and rods are balanced before they go in so I figured all he had to do was pull the oil pan off, unbolt the main caps, unbolt the rods ends and push the pistons down the cylinder- get a new crank, balance it and throw it back in. Why would he need to pull off the heads and stuff and how much should he charge me to do this with the info I've given so far? Thanks for any help?
Old 03-23-2006, 12:05 AM
  #2  
TECH Addict
iTrader: (3)
 
Grimes's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northern NJ
Posts: 2,636
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

well, i've never heard of putting pistons back in through the bottom for one thing. 500 dosent seem that much for taking everything apart and checking the entire engine over, imho. good luck - and be careful!
Old 03-23-2006, 12:47 AM
  #3  
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (3)
 
heavymetals's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Southern Calif.
Posts: 1,590
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts

Default

$500 sounds like cheap labor to me.

Your lucky(?) the only thing that got bent is the crankshaft.

You could have cracked the transmission case and a whole lot of other stuff.
Old 03-23-2006, 01:17 AM
  #4  
Restricted User
iTrader: (9)
 
NOSjohn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,692
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Always have 2 or 3 people helping when putting in a motor or motor/trans. They are heavy and it helps if one person actually stands on the back of the engine hoist to stabilize it and help move it. Sorry to hear your misfortune, hopefully it only did something minor.
Old 03-23-2006, 01:29 AM
  #5  
Banned
iTrader: (3)
 
8a8mfh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

It also helps to know how to operate an engine hoist. The legs should always extend out past the boom.
Old 03-23-2006, 01:39 AM
  #6  
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (3)
 
cantdrv65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: TEXASS
Posts: 3,202
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Post

I would think it could be done without pulling the heads....Sorry about the misfortune man! Extend the legs on that picker!
Old 03-23-2006, 03:09 AM
  #7  
TECH Fanatic
Thread Starter
iTrader: (22)
 
SStolen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Louisville, Ky
Posts: 1,621
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

I may have wrote that wrong. Let me restate this: I am pulling the turbo kit and engine out of the vehicle myself and driving the engine over to his garage. The labor is just to work on the motor itself, not the labor for pulling or reinstalling all of it. He didn't say so but I also got the drift that I may need new bearings and a friend of mine just told me that I MIGHT want to get new rings if I want it to be 110%, which I do. My engine builder said for 110% I might also want to replace the head gaskets. They are copper with o-rings around the water jackets so I'm sure they are pressed to fit.
I figure: $100 for a used crank, $300 for machine work and metal for the crank?, $200 for new bearings (coated)?, $100 for new head gaskets, and $500 for labor = $1200 that I should be using for a ******* vacation that I haven't had in three years because my car robs me of it every year!
My engine builder and my good friend who also owns a performance shop both said that the engine has to come apart because the pistons and rods have to be balanced to the crank. What the hell does that mean? If the rods and pistons are balanced together and the crank is balanced seperately it would seem it would all be perfect.
Can someone elaborate in dummy terms.
btw: I am embarassed that the lift fell. I guess book smart does not make you a mechanic.
Old 03-23-2006, 04:13 AM
  #8  
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (3)
 
heavymetals's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Southern Calif.
Posts: 1,590
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts

Default

Sorry about your misfortune, but if you want to be 110% why go with a used crank?

I think your $1,200.00 est is low.
Old 03-23-2006, 05:56 AM
  #9  
ЯєŧąяĐ Єl¡m¡иąŧøя ™
iTrader: (18)
 
orangeapeel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Justin, TX
Posts: 16,083
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts

Default

sucks...sorry to hear about that.
Old 03-23-2006, 07:31 AM
  #10  
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (4)
 
GuitsBoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 6,249
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts

Default

That sucks man. Are you sure the pulley isnt what's bent and wobbling?
Old 03-23-2006, 07:35 AM
  #11  
Launching!
iTrader: (2)
 
danf1000's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 254
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

reman cranks are better than locally machined. they have the experience, the proper tools and measuring equipment, and often provide the exact oversize bearings.
Old 03-23-2006, 08:01 AM
  #12  
10 Second Club
 
770Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: ATLANTA
Posts: 1,524
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

500 bucks for a rebuild is cheap, even if you are pulling the motor. A badass performance shop is going to charge like 800-1200 if you pull the motor. I would pull it, and replace everything he says is bent, as long as you trust him, hes allready giving you a hell of a deal so he must like you. The worst thing you can do is cut a corner and not replace something and have problems later on down the road.
Old 03-23-2006, 08:03 AM
  #13  
Launching!
 
2000PewterZ28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Town near you
Posts: 277
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Have you checked to see if the balancer is the only part bent?Maybe the crank did not bend.
Old 03-23-2006, 08:09 AM
  #14  
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (3)
 
Old Geezer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: GA, USA
Posts: 5,640
Received 70 Likes on 62 Posts

Question

Hmmmnn...
As I recall, the pistons, rods, rings, and brgs are weighed to determine the bob wts for balancing the crank, not the other way around.
The rods are weight matched, end for end, the pistons are matched to the lightest piece, and then the bobwts are calculated. If the engine has already been balanced, the info should be on the balance card, and should be available to use to balance the new crank....
If the engine is fresh, why new brgs, rings, etc??
Old 03-23-2006, 08:59 AM
  #15  
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
 
FunkyTownFBody's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Fort Worth, Tx
Posts: 297
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

I'd say take every precaution possible, it's not worth skipping out on $1500 now and having to spend $4,000+ later on because you didn't want to fix it.

IMO you shouldn't have put the engine back in the vehicle after flipping the hoist, especially knowing you dropped it on the crank pulley. You wouldn't even be in the situation with having to pull/reinstall it. I can't believe you even went the extra mile and tried to run the engine. It should have been easy enough to tell that the crank or pulley was bent. I can understand the anticipation can be harsh, but that's just alot more headache.

Hopefully you're looking at less damage than could potentially be there.

What is it that you think caused the hoist to tip?
Old 03-23-2006, 11:00 AM
  #16  
kp
8 Second Club
iTrader: (34)
 
kp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 10,852
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post

Default

I doubt you bent the crank, probably just the balancer..
Old 03-23-2006, 11:16 AM
  #17  
Launching!
iTrader: (4)
 
lowchevy2go's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: memphis, tennessee
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

that sux...a friend of mine did the same thing but the top of the cherry picker went through his back hatch glass lol,
Old 03-23-2006, 11:27 AM
  #18  
777
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (21)
 
777's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Posts: 6,697
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post

Default

You should make 100% sure what's wrong before you go and possibly waste a good bit of money on nothing. I'd sure hate to throw away brand new stuff. How in the world could the rings possibly be messed up. I would think that's impossible.
Old 03-23-2006, 11:34 AM
  #19  
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (12)
 
roughneck427's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fresno ca
Posts: 521
Likes: 0
Received 5 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

Well if he saved the bob weight of the piston and rod assembly he should be able to balance the new/used crankshaft to your bob weight rotating assembly.Some balance shope write the bob weight on the crankshaft or save it in thier PC program i know my machinist does

Also if he can do it that way just pull the pan and roll the crank out leaving the rods and pistons in placenot even pulling the heads.Then when you back in with it just be careful and have a buddy help you fish the crank back in avoiding knicing the journals
Old 03-23-2006, 11:44 AM
  #20  
TECH Addict
iTrader: (123)
 
xssive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 2,236
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

If you dropped it on the crank, you need to have all the mains check for sure, especially the thrust bearing.


Quick Reply: Cherry picker flipped over!



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:26 AM.