14mm lifting eyes

[Denis Sweeney]

Having trouble locating a couple of lifting eyes suitable to use the spark plug holes in the head of Ruby to lift the engine complete with gearbox back into the car.

A local '37 Austin A10 owner has been kind enough to loan me his hoist for reinstallation, but only has long heavy nylon strops, which if located under the gearbox and front long timing cover the rear strop will foul the bulk head and so am looking to locate a couple suitable eyes to fit the plugs.
I do have M14 sized eyes but these are coarse thread M14 x 1.5mm, whereas I believe the 14mm plug holes are fine thread, 14mm x 1.25 (please correct me I am wrong) either way the ones I have don't fit!!
Any known suppliers out there please??
Cheers Denis S

[Chris KC]

I can't help with your search Dennis; but I use nylon rope passed through the engine mount holes and under the gearbox - drops in OK and readily extracted once it's in. Just make sure it's sound rope and use a reef knot. This method has a slight advantage in that you can tilt the engine a bit as it goes in, just don't let it tip too far.

[Howard Wright]

Hi Dennis

I sacrificed a couple of spark plugs and welded on a bolt on each which goes through a piece of box section all held up by a shackle. You can move the shackle along the box section to get the balance right. Alternatively if you don’t have a welder you can probably pass a bolt through the plug and bolt on an eye.

Cheers

Howard

[Alan Osborne]

Dennis,

Where are you in Kent?

I’m in East Sussex and have some you may borrow.

Alan

[Bill Dixon]

Use number plug hole using Howard idear, works OK for me.

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Should have said number 3 plug hole.

[David Stepney]

    I made a pair of lifting eyes as follows: I took the insulators out of a pair of 14mm plugs that came out of the late lamented Polo, fitted two 8mm eye bolts which I got online from a chandlery site and fitted the whole assembly into a couple of 14mm to 18mm adapters as my car has big plugs. Without the adapters, they would fit the later head if one ground the shoulders off the nuts.

[Reckless Rat]

Ditto here. I have welded a lifting hook onto the base of both a 14mm and an 18mm plug so I can belt and braces it. One hook into n°3 plug hole and the engine and gearbox comes out fine and dandy. The hard bit can be getting the innards out of tge plug!