To me, what's wrong is that the jack method doesn't offer very much control
over the attitude of the engine mating with the transmission, plus the fact
that if you make a mistake you get an engine on the ground or worse. I've
done it both ways, many times, and I prefer the precise control of a hoist.

I bought a transmission jack once upon a time with fore and aft tilt
control on it, but I couldn't make it fit under the car with enough
clearance to roll the engine out. I have seen some special purpose jacks
for motorcycles and such that look much lower, and they have a wider
platform to work with, but so far I haven't see the need to go beyond the
saw horse and hoist.

Jim

On Tue, Jul 16, 2013 at 10:18 PM, Ed <email99@bellsouth.net> wrote:

> What's wrong with the traditional jack stands, a piece of plywood, some
> wood
> blocks and a floor jack?  You can build a simple cradle with the wood
> blocks
> is you like.  It has worked well for me with a stock engine, a tiico I-4,
> and
> a Subaru Ej25.
>
> If you want something to just hold the engine in place while you r&r the
> transmission, use a 2x4 with a hole in it, a large eye bolt with washers
> and
> a nut and some quick links.
>