So, you want to rebuild your engine or otherwise tear it apart! Obviously you must first remove it from your vehicle using a good engine hoist, but then what? You can’t just leave it hanging and swing from your hoist. For one, that would be dangerous. Second, trying to keep the engine still while working on it would quickly become frustrating. You could of course try building up a platform using wooden 2×4’s if you wanted to pose a potential safety risk to yourself and anyone else working on your engine (and if you did it this way you wouldn’t be able to move your engine around once you set it down), but in reality there is only one safe way to support your engine for work once you have lifted it out of your engine bay: the engine stand.
An engine stand is a reinforced metal frame that typically rides on casters which allows you to wheel it around. They typically have a vertical post with an adapter on top that allows you to bolt your engine in place securely. Once your engine is bolted into the stand, you are free to move it around the garage easily as well as work on it wobble free. This will allow you to complete tasks such as replacing rod bearings, changing a head gasket, valve replacement, and removing your pistons with unencumbered access to all parts.
Best Engine Stand
When it comes to choosing the best engine stand, there are quite a few options. Your two biggest concerns are going to be build quality and capacity. We typically recommend erring on the high side when it comes to capacity as the cost differences are minimal and you never know what engine you may have to wrench on in the future.
Torin T26801 1500 lbs Engine Stand
The upright on the frame is gusseted for strength, and the frame as a whole is made from square steel channel. Atop the upright post sits the mount, which has multiple points of adjustability to fit many different types and geometries of engine. The adapter is attached to a swivel with a convenient handle which lets you rotate the adapter when mounting for easy alignment. It also lets you rotate the engine once one the stand which saves you the trouble of having to lay down to perform work on the underside. The frame has sufficient width and length to limit tipping hazard so you can spend more time worrying about doing your repairs correctly than worrying about supporting your engine safely.
Overall, build quality is good as is the fit and finish. This, combined with the extremely reasonable cost makes the Torin T26801 Engine Stand our favorite one available. When it comes to where to buy, Amazon’s competitive price shipped is pretty tough to beat when you consider what it costs to ship a package as large and heavy as an engine stand. For this reason we recommend that you check there first. We think that if you choose the Torin to handle your engine stand needs, you will be happy that you did!
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