[Mark66]

I have a pair of cylinder head lifting hooks, Kent Moore J-4266, but cannot figure out how to use them. The 1966 Pontiac Chassis Shop Manual shows the hooks (and a bolt of undetermined size to be used in conjunction with each hook) but is silent as to where the hooks attach to the cylinder heads. The hooks were clearly engineered to be used in a specific manner but how? Although I can lift the heads in other ways, I am curious as to what I am missing when it comes to the proper use of the Kent Moore hooks. These hooks were used on many Pontiac and Oldsmobile V-8’s but I would be using them on heads from a 1966 389.

[mgarblik]

I found a 1 sentence mention of these hooks in the 1955 Pontiac Chassis manual. So the tool has been around since 1955. It said specifically to use them when removing the head with the exhaust manifold still attached. Can you see any way these hooks wrap around the exhaust manifolds to make the removal easier? There were no pics unfortunately.

[242177P]

Shot in the dark, but... try slipping one over a rocker arm stud? Might explain the length of the sleeve. Secure that handle using a rocker arm nut. Bolt can also find it's way into a front accessory hole. Doesn't need to use any *specific* location, they're just an arbitrary handle to make life easier for the guy laying on a fender cover? It sure beats sticking one's fingers into an intake port.

[Goatracer1]

Are they big enough to put your hands through? If yes I would say you put them on a front and rear rocker stud with the rocker nuts and use them as handles.

[Mark66]

The largest bolt that will fit through the hook sleeves is one with a 5/16-inch thread, the same bolt size used for the V-8 valve covers. All of the other cylinder bolt holes take a large bolt that will not fit through the sleeve. The hooks themselves are large enough to get your hands through once they are attached to the head. I do not think that the rocker studs are tall enough to protrude past the top of the hook sleeves so that would not work. The hooks are sufficiently robust to support both a cylinder head and exhaust manifold as mentioned in the 1955 chassis manual. I guess that Pontiac felt that the manner in which the hooks are to be attached is sufficiently self-evident that they felt it was not necessary to state the obvious.

I will therefore be using the valve cover bolt holes - thanks to all for the feedback.