Anyone have this Engine Run Stand?

Anyone have one of these? Harbor freight / Walmart or Amazon Engine Run Stand 319-414 dollars , I sure its cheap import but will it work at least three times? I think I'm going to buy one as long as it will support a 440 Mopar


https://www.amazon.com/Larin-METS-1-Mobile-Testing-Station/dp/B0007NXVB0

here's my 340 on one, I did have to make a few mods to it. I got it on sale for $299 about a year ago. I'l try to get some pics from the rear or it today.

You get what you pay for applies here but for a run stand intended for short term use they work just fine, (this is a Walmart $299.00 "El Cheepo" unit). I use one for carburetor testing on a 354 Hemi. It is a heavy engine but since I don't move it around much and basically never take it off and on the stand, it works fine. If you have a rough floor or an uneven surface you might consider higher-quality wheels, the supplied wheels don't like the weight much. I hand-built the radiator support of some simple 1.00" square tubing and also made a sheet metal plate to bolt the ignition components to.

I have since purchased a couple of Easy-Run stands which are a first class product. They also cost 5X's as much but again, you get what you pay for. There are also many homemade stands made from kits or plans which would work just as well (many members here have built them at home, some are very nice), just a matter of your skill level and budget.

I think the money would be better spent on taking the engine and putting it on a real dyno.

Run stands are not Dynos (Real or otherwise) each has its place, just depends on what job you are using either for.

You have a PM on one of the Wal Mart brands

If I had to choose it would be the dyno, but it would be nice to have both.

Embarrassing to show up at the dyno with water, oil or crankcase vacuum leaks. Spending dyno money on fixing problems you could have found on a stand is not fun.

That's a really nice setup no doubt I'm a shade tree hobby-est if I buy this Walmart/Amazon stand I see it being used twice for sure and maybe a time or two after that , with that in mind I'm going against my rule of always buy quality I very much agree with what you say "You get what you pay for" , I just hope it works some of the import stuff is just plane junk.

Most of the $299.00 specials I've seen (including my Walmart example) have been made up of a mix of bolt-together hollow thin wall tubes which are adequate but certainly no match for some of the higher quality examples. You could vastly improve any of them once bolted together by adding some reinforcing welds at all the bolted corners and some strategically located gussets here and there. That said I didn't add any to mine and its just fine, it just flexes a little when pushed around, nothing scarey.

I have a heavy duty one I started making in PA if anyone local is looking to buy one. It's probably 80% done and will include new gauges, a flywheel that will work on both big block and small block mopars, and the needed part to bolt a starter on a big block mopar. 280.00 but will not ship.

engine stand 002 by John Cadamore, on Flickr


engine stand 001 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

Ignorant question here - what does one gain from using one of these short of leak detection? Engine break in?

Among other problems yes. A friend at work had an engine built and then built a stand to break it in before swapping it into a nice survivor 442.
It would also come in handy for selling engines as everyone wants to see it run before they buy. Many people have done this with front subframes but who wants that layin around?

I'm guessing you never wiped out a new cam on start up , it sucks when that happens on a new install . It happen to me my challenger never left the parking spot had to pull the motor again the wiped lobe was now scattered around the interior of the engine

I have had access to one on the last three builds that I have done this year. It is the only way to do it, IMO. Breaking in the cam, checking for rear main seal leaks, in my case, on the last one, brand new, out of the box mech fuel pump started leaking where the body is crimped together(Carter BB). Jetting and setting carbs, rerunning the valves after break-in, lots easier out of the car. If you are going to dyno it, it saves the frustration of having to do minor repairs then and lets you get on with what you came to do! No down side that I can see, except maybe storage.

Breaking in a new engine on the engine run stand or on a engine dyno is very helpful for controlling the cam break in procedure as well as leak detection, no scratching up the fenders or engine compartment also

Yep. Both. I had a persistent oil leak on my hemi. I am glad it was on a run in stand instead of in the car. The cross ram is one heavy intake. And with flat tappet lifters was nice again to run it in before installing in the car.