Date:         Sat, 15 Jul 1995 19:42:06 -0500 (CDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jbrill@unlinfo.unl.edu (James Brill)
Subject:      Engine is out

After several hours of sweating and cursing my engine is out!  I still
have those thoughts of selling the whole mess from time to time but 
they get weaker as I get closer to finishing.

The first thing I had to do was support the tranny.  I went to the 
hardware store for chain or something when one of those cargo tie-down
straps caught my eye.  It is nylon and has a ratcheting thing to take 
up the slack.  After lying under there with a tape measure and a board
for half an hour this thing did the trick in about 5 minutes.  It only
cost $13 and probably has hundreds of household uses(tm).

After getting the tranny supported I got out all the bolts except the 
one up by the starter.  I was having real trouble with that one.  
After reading Muir over several times I figured out that I need to get
one from inside the engine compartment.  I found a 17mm nut in there 
and proceeded to try to loosen it.  No chance.  I used every angle and
wrench I had and no luck.  It is about this time that the SO comes and
out to see how things are going.  I am cursing like a sailor and 
talking of selling.  I am grease from one end to the other.  Then she 
hit me with the kicker, "You're the one who wanted to be a Volkswagen 
mechanic."  That was all it took.  I got in there and found the energy
to get that thing off of there.

So, the engine is on the floor now.  I guess there is no looking back.
Tomorrow I will begin switching some of the parts and putting on the 
new ones.  So, at this rate I will on the road sometime in late 
November.  I will keep you all posted.
-- 
James A. Brill Jr.         \\  //
jbrill@unlinfo.unl.edu   \\ \\// //      If you're not outraged
University of Nebraska    \\//\\//     you're not paying attention.
free-lance homo sapien     \/  \/