> Figure two things. How high can you go? (ceiling height) Then,
> dimension of engine WITH floor jack so you can leave it sitting on
> floor jack as you roll it out.
>
I guess this begs the question of "how high is an air cooled engine" :-)
If it was sitting on the floor, exhaust and heat exchangers in place,
anyone know how high it  is? I wish I could just put the thing on a pair
of ramps, and be done with this part of it.....
> I would say NO to cinder blocks. Use wood. I have 6x6 chunks of wood I
> use as "safety" when using jack stands.

I guess the term 'cinder block' justifiably makes folks shiver. I can
relate, but if it has to go 15-18 inches high, there are precious few
real choices. piling three pieces of 6x6 doesn't seem any safer. Maybe
it doesn't have to go that high. Hoping someone knows the answer, so I
can decide how to go. I think that with good jackstands, the blocks
would just be a backup. If the stands are gonna fail, and crush the
blocks, then I know my number must really be up :-)

 As an aside, the van has been resting in the garage awaiting my
decision, for days. Last night, I looked beneath for other reasons, and
observed that the clutch slave cylinder had disgorged its contents all
over the floor. No one touched the clutch for days, and it doesn't even
have 20K miles on it, so already, the total bill is rising on this
effort and I haven't even gotten started. Never heard of one just
'blowing out' like that before. Of course, it will be easy to replace
with the engine out, so maybe its better that it puked now, than later.
<shrug>
> Can't recall exact measurement, but you need a floor jack that has a
> min. of 14" lift. If I understand your email correctly, those small
> ones are not appropriate IMHO.
>

yea, I am thinking I may need to rent a big one to make it easier, but
that only means the van has to go higher.....

Thanks for the advice and ideas Neil.

John