I’m almost ready to reassemble my motor and was wondering if there’s a proper centerline for mounting the engine on the stand. I recall when I last had the motor on the stand, it wasn’t centered properly. It wanted to tilt one way or the other on its own. Is there a way to mount it on the stand so it pivots without being lopsided?

Yeah/ I had the same thing on my /6 too when I recently put it together, but to an extent any inline 6 will be that way. The 2 previous inline 6 engines I had to rebuild were both jeep 4.0s and I struggled with those on the be stand probably more than I did with my /6, same stand. In fact when I did the jeep engines especially once the head was on I definitely needed help flipping them right side up, on the stand. I struggled with the /6 some too//// but was (barely) able to flip it upright myself with the head on..... I struggled more, it seems than when I have a 318 on there ...
The inline 6s are a little lighter but being longer than the v8s makes them sure seem heavier.

Most engine stands are designed for a small block chevy. An inline 6 is longer and taller and cause problems when positioning the engine. This is a particular problem on stands that have a "T" shape bottom. They have a tendency to tip over. An "H" shaped bottom is more stable.

I adjust the arms on the stand that bolt to the rear bell housing flange so the center of the crank is on center with the rotating hub that allows the engine stand to rotate the motor.
As a short block, the slant is positional using a 12 inch lever and some force.
Put the head on and it takes a long bar to control the rotation.

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Doo Ron Ron and the Duke of Earl are friends of mine.....
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I do what DadTruck said. Eyeball it. I sometimes use a friend or engine hoist to rotate it safely if it's a longblock.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

One more thing,

I would never attempt to move the engine stand with an engine on it around the garage.
To move a short or long block, put the short block/long block on an engine hoist, lower the engine so the center of gravity is low and move that, then re load it on the roll-over.

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Doo Ron Ron and the Duke of Earl are friends of mine.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8Nj8ABEI8

Thanks for the help, much appreciated.

I have a manual crank engine stand from Summit that works good. The older I get the more I appreciate the "ease" of doing things. I usually cheat the engine on the stand with crankshaft below the centerline to make it easier to turn over. With the wide 4 wheel design I roll the engine anywhere I want in the shop. Always better to pull or push than go sideways!

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

I do have a HF folding stand that I plan to use. 4 leg stability is a plus. Thanks for the help guys.

Here is How I set mine up... not the best but it does the job..
20221231_103551 by Hyperpack, on Flickr


Greg

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