Project Lazarus

[S2central.net]

I was actually thinking of doing just that, but I wanted to get best access to the bell-housing bolts and stripped out a bunch of parts that aren't strictly needed to pull the engine... still hedging my bets on dropping the engine with gearbox & subframe but I am still pondering that.

[mcandmar]

Stick a jack under the end of the gearbox to take the weight and then drop the subframe. With that out of the way you have easy access to the drive shafts and gear linkage, then just lift the engine with a hoist and walk it out the front.

Once you have it out and swinging on the hoist remove the downpipe and the few bolts between the bell housing and sump, then drop it on the ground and remove the remaining big bolts holding the gearbox.

As the good book says, assembly is reverse of removal

[S2central.net]

It won't be getting refitted for a LONG time, but yes I am more inclined to drop the box and motor together... I already unbolted the propshaft with that in mind... bit more spattering on the floor would get the gear linkage and clutch line disconnected. Oh I have to buy or rent a crane next !

[mcandmar]

Doesn't do to rush these things. I would lend you mine, but its probably a bit far away to be worth your while..

[diesel des]

Paul let me know and I can drop a Crain in some day....

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[S2central.net]

Des - you are a legend !

[Rusty]

I replaced the engine on a trolley jack using a little brute force getting it on and off. The sump usefully hooks over the sub frame

[S2central.net]

So... shock & horror - 6 months later and I have an engine crane in the post !

I finally managed to find time and inspiration over the weekend to make some progress getting the last engine items removed and loosened in readiness for engine removal.

PS - Is it weird that my ABY only has an engine lifting point at the front ? oooh - or was there one on the rear of the EM - I need to go look in the parts bin !

All brake pads removed so its easy to move the old girl out into the daylight for some better space and light to work on - long may the glorious early summer here continue so I can stay motivated for longer than a week. After engine and gearbox is out I will be stripping out the four corners (and the cabin) with the body sitting on a couple of chassis cradles.

Beyond that, the storage challenge really kicks in for a normal domestic garage, but I hope to solve that in coming weeks.

There will be decent black S2 cloth seats (and carpet) available for anyone interested, but obviously not much use to anyone outside Ireland due to prohibitive shipping cost... I will gather up a list of all the bits that I will be parting with (cos I need the space), and post a proper FS thread.

I won't be reusing the seats, but I am not sure about door trims and dashboard yet.

[Rusty]

Have fun sorting the engine It's not too bad; just requires a methodical mind, a radio and a minion to bring tea, coffee and cake

Are you going to swap to vacuum brakes? Worth doing it with the engine out.

[S2central.net]

Been thinking about a vac servo but I like how neatly packaged things are with the hydraulic servo - not knowing if there is any life left in my bomb though !!!

[irishs2]

Go vac dont look bac(k)

[S2central.net]

Engine out yesterday - no real drama with that - quite easy with the new crane and all the hard work done weeks and months ago.

Main problem I now have is how to maintain inspiration & energy to see things through to the end - I am just one more corner into a long and expensive process and continue to have doubts about my ability to follow it through. Part of the problem is space for such a commitment when there are already two other daily drivers in the family that need attention. The other problem is time which I don't generally have due to my day job commitments which cause me to travel rather more than anticipated for the foreseeable.

As much as it will be straight forward to remove the rest of the running gear, seats and trim - there is a mountain of work (time and money) to finish it at a level that I would be happy with. Every time I look at price of engine parts alone I feel my butt cheeks clenching and my wallet wincing.

When i was jacking the car up yesterday I found more rusty patches underneath - its all fixable of course, but loads of time involved to make it a nice clean shell as a solid base for the trackday / hillclimb toy that I want to create.

i am at a strange crossroads - open to words of inspiration, common sense advice or sensible offers for the best parts of the old machine to be honest - as much as would hate to break it (made more problematic due to where I live as there might be 6 people vaguely interested on the entire island) - its a mountain that I may not be able to climb and the funds would go nicely to enhancing my B6 S4 or a new family tank to replace the Allroad which cannot go forever.

All I need is a small lottery win to extend the garage (in height and length) - get a 2 post lift installed and everything would be so much easier to face than the thought of rolling around the floor for 5 years - its the prospect of all that amateurish slog in a cramped garage which hurts my head the most.

Any advice welcome !

[Greg_S]

Paul, I'd try and break down the targets to be more manageable and not get carried away with chasing more and more jobs as you discover things as you will end up with the whole car in kit form. Tackle the most critical items and revisit the others at a later date once back together and running again

[Error404]

From my experiences, I suggest: Sell everything you don't need. Sort the shell out as you want it, then refit all the running gear and run it as-is. Upgrade parts as and when time and funds allow. The longer it stays n bits the harder it is to find the motivation and inspiration to press on. My 2c

[diesel des]

From my experiences, I suggest: Sell everything you don't need. Sort the shell out as you want it, then refit all the running gear and run it as-is. Upgrade parts as and when time and funds allow. The longer it stays n bits the harder it is to find the motivation and inspiration to press on. My 2c

I agree.

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