once i get my 455 rebuilt i plan to break it in while it is still out of the boat ,..does anybody have advice or pics on how to build a good stand ?


im not looking to build something extremley fancy , ..just something simple and strong to hold the motor

holy shit that engine looks awesome !! i like the stand also how much did it cost to build ? ,.. did you do the welding ?

thats kind of the setup i am wanting to build ,. but would like to keep it cheap as possible for now since i wont use it again untill the next motor build (hopefully many years lol),..so with that being said i might use wood if its cheaper , could i just use some 4x4 to replicate the stock motor mounts in the boat ? then i could bolt the motor mount/cross arm thingamajig  from the engine  to the 4x4's ,..its a 3 point mounting system and the engine block uses stock Olds mounts ,..so building it to hold the engine will be no problem ,.. im just worried about the wood holding the weight of a 800+lbs engine while im revving the hell out of it for 30 min breaking in the cam


has anybody used or seen or even thought of a wooden engine stand ?

Just bolt it in the boat and leave the pump disconnected. 

Just bolt it in the boat and leave the pump disconnected.

impossible with the 3 point mounting system in my boat , plus there is no way in hell im getting that boat "lake ready" to only have another engine failure happen ,.. if its gonna blow up again i would rather not be as dissapointed this time haha 

Yes I did the welding. It cost me scrap I had laying around most likely from a job I did for someone. I had about 70.00 into it for the bell housing and the castors that have pedastals when the foot pedal is depressed.
Thanks. T.J.

nice !! thats aluminum right ?


do you do any work for other people or just on your own projects ?

once i get my 455 rebuilt i plan to break it in while it is still out of the boat ,..does anybody have advice or pics on how to build a good stand ?


im not looking to build something extremley fancy , ..just something simple and strong to hold the motor

You don't need anything fancy.  A decent pallet will work, with a hole cut out for the oil drain plug/line.  I've done this with great success.  You just need to secure the front motor mounting plate to the pallet to keep it from wanting to roll over on you.  Attach a 2 x 4 or 4 X 4 to the pallet using a couple of simple brackets, and use one bolt on each end of the motor mount plate to attach the motor mount plate to the 2 x 4.  Let the oil pan sit on the pallet.  You don't need to secure the back of the engine at all.

I use a more "sophisticated" break-in stand now.  But it's still made of wood and screwed together, and just secures the front mounting points.

Keep it simple and cheap.  Spend your money and time on parts that will make your boat more reliable, or faster (G!).

Sorry. Not a fan of wood. I hate working with it too.

In general, I agree with you.  But for something quick, dirty, cheap, and temporary, wood's hard to beat.

BTW: I've noticed much of the stuff you've built over the past year or so.  Your fabrication and machining skills are something most of us only have wet dreams about.  Outstanding work!

Matt