buy a hoist?

[new0deal]

I plan on doing an sr swap very soon.  Should I buy a hoist?  Which would you say would be the best bang for the buck? Are they a pain in the ass to move around or take up a lot of room?

[bbp]

engine lifts are great to use but a pain to own.  They take up alot of room in the garage when not in use.  I would check around and see if you can borrow something or rent one before you buy one.

Harbor Freight Tools have cheap tools.  Be wary of the Larin brand, some of it is good, most of their stuff is trash.  Also check Northern Tool.  Both company have websites, don't know what they are off the top of my head.

[HippoSleek]

You can rent one for free (w/ a $300 or so deposit) at many large chain auto parts stores.

[sayuki]

I would rent one - depends on how long you plan on using it tho - the one i rented was $25 a day.   Also - it was a really nice one - very big - it could hold the engine and my friend jumping on it AND it came apart and fit in the back of a camry.     Best thing I'd say is to shop around - start calling places.

[ridebmx]

haha...when i first read your post i thought to my self *self, this guy must be loaded to get a hoist just because hes doing a swap* the reason i thought that is i thought you meant like a car hoist, like the ones that lift the whole car, i dunno just thought id say it...haha

[gschroeder78]

I just bought one to do my engine. It cost me $200 and already I've needed it more than I thought. Around here they charged $60 a week to rent  so I figured instead of throwing the money away, I would buy one and then try to sell it later. If your short on cash, I've also heard of places like autozone or Checker letting you basically buy it for $300 and then they'll give your money back when you return it, minus a tiny fee I think.

[luke91]

I would say buy one.  

The one I used, I bought from Advance Auto.  It cost me $150, and folds up nicely to take up less space.  Plus, you never know when you can rent it out to a freind, or someone else that is doing a swap.  Once you do your swap, you can charge to do swaps for people, and you'll have it for that.  Also, if you plan on painting your engine bay, working on the motor while it's out of the car, or selling your old motor, you'll need a hoist for all of that, too.  

Also, buy these, too:

Welder
Angle grinder and cut-off wheels
Bench vice
Metal files

You'll be surprised how frequently you'll need them.  

--luke