Engine Stand Rotisserie Adaptor

[Imabass]

Modifying a standard engine stand with a simple gear reduced slack adjuster.

Using a slack adjuster from a semi air brakes along with the brake camshaft, I modified the engine stand to allow for easy turning of the engine while on the stand. Once you load up a big block on a engine stand it can be difficult to turn the engine. Also there are typically limited adjustment holes to hold the engine in the desired place. This allows you to easily turn the engine and to stop it at any angle with a very easy to turn 22:1 gear reduction in the slack adjuster.

I did this modification several years ago and the video quality is not very good. I think the slack adjuster cost about $16 new and the semi shop that I bought the slack adjuster from gave me some old damaged cams.

This engine stand neck was much larger than the slack adjuster so I used a scrap piece of pipe and sleeved into the neck of the engine stand.

[DIYer]

Thanks Imabass! We've added your Engine Stand Rotisserie Adaptor to our Engine Stands and Lifts category,
as well as to your builder page: Imabass's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Engine Stand Rotisserie Adaptor by Imabass

tags: rotisserie, engine, stand

[C-Bag]

Very cool! I'm not a diesel mech, but I know one, hmmmm.

Hard to believe that slack adjuster is only $16 with some kind gear reduction. But it will only work with a splined shaft that is the brake cam? So that's something that's replaced a lot then and would be something that's lying around a truck shop?

In my experience not only is any engine hard to rotate on the stand, they also get very unbalanced/top heavy once you put the heads on. This is such a good idea it makes me wish I was still building engines.....almost

Great idea, good job, and thanks for posting

[Imabass]

Very cool! I'm not a diesel mech, but I know one, hmmmm.

Hard to believe that slack adjuster is only $16 with some kind gear reduction. But it will only work with a splined shaft that is the brake cam? So that's something that's replaced a lot then and would be something that's lying around a truck shop?

In my experience not only is any engine hard to rotate on the stand, they also get very unbalanced/top heavy once you put the heads on. This is such a good idea it makes me wish I was still building engines.....almost

Great idea, good job, and thanks for posting

It was 5-6 years ago and the slack adjuster was really inexpensive. There is a manual one and a automatic one. The manual one is what you will want. I googled slack adjusters and the prices are quite a bit higher than i recall so I called the supplier that I bought them from in the past and they are currently $18.94.

Slack adjusters come in many sizes but 1.5" cam with 10 or 28 splines. I would guess any splined shaft that will fit these would work but the brake cams are probably the cheapest thing out there. These should be available in the scrap piles at the truck mechanic shops. The cam side will wear down with high mileage and you cut that portion off anyway. The parts supplier gave me old cams from their scrap pile.

[C-Bag]

Thanks. A good buddy of mine works in a trucking line shop so I just emailed him about this.

One more question, Imabass.....bass singer, bass player or just into the fish bass or none of the above?

[Imabass]

Thanks. A good buddy of mine works in a trucking line shop so I just emailed him about this.

One more question, Imabass.....bass singer, bass player or just into the fish bass or none of the above?

none of the above. Last name is bass.

[C-Bag]

Ah, way too logical for me. Sorry if that was too nosy. Being a musician got me thinking.

I heard back from my buddy and he told me the trucks they work on all are auto adjust and he never sees ones that you have to do manually. Also the fleet they maintain has cams that are guaranteed for 300,000mi+. So who knows, there might be one or more of those obsolete adjusters and worn out cams in a outta the way nook. He said he'd look around and see. Thanks for posting and the tip about the adjusters.

[Imabass]

Ah, way too logical for me. Sorry if that was too nosy. Being a musician got me thinking.

I heard back from my buddy and he told me the trucks they work on all are auto adjust and he never sees ones that you have to do manually. Also the fleet they maintain has cams that are guaranteed for 300,000mi+. So who knows, there might be one or more of those obsolete adjusters and worn out cams in a outta the way nook. He said he'd look around and see. Thanks for posting and the tip about the adjusters.

I think my Ford L8000 fire truck had manual adjusters on it. Most commercial trucks will all use the automatic ones for safety and decreased maintenance. I ended up buying a new manual adjuster for less than $20.

Here is the company that I got mine from. https://weldonparts.com/ Does not look like they have any on the left coast. There should be a similar supplier in your area.

[blkadder]

I was just doing a quick search on eBay, and I found the slack adjuster for around $18 and the splined shaft for around $24, both with free shipping. I have a couple of truck places local, and figure I will check them as well. Overall, this is a great project.