I need to send an engine to California. The buyer wants the oilpan, block, head, cam cover and flywheel but none of the manifolds, fuel, ignition and auxiliary bits. That should make it easier. They made a generous offer and they're paying shipping I just need to put it on a pallet and secure it for shipping. Given how rare this engine is and the tiny market for it, its worth the hassle to ship it for both of us.
What's the best way? I want it to be sure the engine is safe as well. Its an inline 6 but not super long.
I remember pricing a Jeep 4.0 rebuilt as shipped to me (6 years ago). It might be worth asking a company that sells rebuilt motors customer direct how they ship, and mimic that.
In reply to matthewmcl :
I guess I can ask the buyer then lol
Check Fastenal. I shipped a complete FSAE car once. Strapped it to two pallets and built a box around it. It was pretty cheap and easy.
In reply to yupididit :
If worthy I'd use a pallet and plywood box around it. If you've ever seen the way those minimum wage cowboys drive Forklifts at transfer points. You'd understand why.
A truck comes in and the faster they can unload it the faster they can get back to doing whatever they were doing before. Same with outgoing loads.
I've shipped an aluminum block in a crate I made but wouldn't want to try that for a full engine. Have sent and received a couple of transaxles strapped to pallets, which works pretty well. It's probably worth wrapping the strapped-down engine with some padding just so it doesn't get banged up, especially if it's aluminum.
The forklift operators at the nearby truck terminal are very good and get stuff into and out of my 4runner, but probably not true everywhere.
In reply to Rons :
That's super interesting lol. But maybe overkill lol
Apis Mellifera said:
Check Fastenal. I shipped a complete FSAE car once. Strapped it to two pallets and built a box around it. It was pretty cheap and easy.
I second going with Fastenal if there's a close location to both parties. I shipped and engine, trans, and large box of parts on a long pallet and it was something like $200 to go from central Indiana to Atlanta GA.
find a beefy tire, set the engine on it, cam strap it down.
Link to Fastenal shipping website: https://www.fastenal.com/fast/blue-lane-freight Note they have an east zone and a west zone, and currently aren't shipping between the two zones, so it won't work in your case.
I had an engine shipped from Canada.
They put a couple of extra boards over a pallet and sorta built the box so the engine couldn't move. Then they boxed it in.
Arrived safe and sound!
I think I paid about $400 to ship from. The west coast of Canada to the east coast of the USA with yrc freight.
In reply to yupididit :
Always assume that something will be on top of the engine. It's heavy and the won't put it on top. Plus they have to fill the truck so the space above your engine is going to be used.
As long as the protection is inside the dimensions of a normal pallet, go nuts!
ive made plenty of custom pallet buffoonery, mostly so the shipping company didnt destroy the contents. Build a 2x4 cage around it and sheeting with whatever plywood is around. Just keep the fork area of the pallet open and unmodified. They have to be able to get a pallet jack to move it.
most of the damage we used to get was from the forklift drivers at the shipping hubs. They will put 1 loaded pallet on top of another so they can move 2 at once. If you put a "DO NOT STACK" cone on top, i think they took it as a challenge to stack and smash the cone.
It it's that rare and limited audience I would put a box around it so it doesn't get damaged by something falling on it during shipment. Crate engines come with a plastic tub around and covering them, a big tupperware is the easiest way out. I always use the tire underneath trick, even if it's just hopping into the back of a pickup.
27 gallon = $13.
I've shipped a couple. Pallet was my go-to.
Find a good hardwood pallet and add 2x4 or 4x4 blocking to fit the engine - maybe a 4x4 under the mounts, a 2x4 under the front crank bearing, whatever fits. The nice thing about wood is that it doesn't deflect, but it's not hard enough to damage anything.
Strap it down with ratchet straps or beg/borrow/buy a tension banding kit like this:
Another trick I have used is to screw a piece of plywood on the front of the pallet and drill holes where some accessory bolt holes are. Bolt the face of the engine to the plywood and triangulate the ply with a 2x4 if necessary. Although, if you have the engine properly blocked in place with other pieces and strapped down gutentite, it's not going anywhere. Find a roll of shrink wrap and an old blanket to prevent things like forklift scrapes and full send.
kb58
UltraDork
2/28/23 10:49 a.m.
914Driver said:
It it's that rare and limited audience I would put a box around it so it doesn't get damaged by something falling on it during shipment. Crate engines come with a plastic tub around and covering them, a big tupperware is the easiest way out. I always use the tire underneath trick, even if it's just hopping into the back of a pickup.
This is how my engine builder sent my engine - a big storage tote on a pallet, and I think he put plywood inside as well, below and to the sides.
Fed ex and UPS have freight operations too , if you know someone with an account as them ,
We shipped a 1000 pound machine from Sri Lanka with FedEx , it went on a boat......
I have an audi engine being shipped fedex freight right now. The guy plopped it on a a pallet with 2x4/4x4 blocking to level it out, strapped it down and sheeted over the whole thing to make a box. LTL from his driveway to my shop supposedly in a few days from NJ to WA. No idea what it cost, I used my companies account.
914Driver said:
It it's that rare and limited audience I would put a box around it so it doesn't get damaged by something falling on it during shipment. Crate engines come with a plastic tub around and covering them, a big tupperware is the easiest way out. I always use the tire underneath trick, even if it's just hopping into the back of a pickup.
27 gallon = $13.
Hmm I have about 20 of these. I need to see what the engine dimensions will be with everything removed.
californiamilleghia said:
Fed ex and UPS have freight operations too , if you know someone with an account as them ,
We shipped a 1000 pound machine from Sri Lanka with FedEx , it went on a boat......
We have accounts with both. But, the buyer is scheduling the shipping, he just needs my address and pickup timeframe that works for me.
Surprised no one mentioned the obvious, drain the oil and other fluids as best you can. Shippers and warehouse people freak out if they see a puddle of anything.
If you use the plastic tub consider using two part expanding foam to cushion it and keep it from moving.
This is how GM palletizes their motors. They've used this method for decades and I've copied it many times. I stole this first pic off the internet but the second and third pics are of an engine I ordered from GM for a dyno mule and the crate has been used for about 8 years to haul the engine back and forth from the dyno facility many times in the back of my truck and to ship the engine back and forth to Ricardo's facility in Chicago a couple of times.
In reply to APEowner :
I like that first one.
I think I'm going to try to use two plastic tots and mount it to a pallet.
yupididit said:
In reply to APEowner :
I like that fist one.
I think I'm going to try to use two plastic tots and mount it to a pallet.
Do you think the totes are strong enough if they put another pallet on top of it ?
You might want to put a wooden box around them.
