Continuing on from yesterdays post, today was the day of removing the engine and gearbox. Massive thanks to both Kim and Casey for their help today. First thing was to make the final few preparations in order to make this possible. Couldn't do them yesterday just because it meant things would be loose, so a quick socket session was required.
Gearbox mount was the first thing to be removed.... all it does it make sure the gearbox doesn't move in relation to the chassis.... Could have been problematic given that we wanted to move the gearbox in relation to the chassis =P so it was abruptly removed.
Also had to remove the engine mounts. The bolts are in an incredibly hard to reach spot, which wasn't made easier by the jack stand that was supporting the front end of the car, or the jack that was supporting the gearbox. Simply getting the socket over the bolt was tricky enough, let alone trying to remove it! All 3 of us had a go, 20 minutes later we finally got the problem child out.
Casey getting the strap and crane ready to lift the engine out...
Final checks before the lifting begins... basically the strap is pre-tensioned to make sure that both the strap and the knots are capable of lifting the engine and gearbox out, and seeing if there's anything I'd forgotten from yesterdays escapades. Turns out I had... clutch slave cylinder (effectively connects your clutch pedal to your clutch) and the heater hoses. It does need to be said though, the heater hoses were intentional - the extra room provided by moving the engine forward gave us that little bit extra room to make the removal of the hoses comfortable.
The idea is that as you lift the engine, you first need to make sure the mounts come out clean before you can go any further. They should come out in 1 piece... For those that don't know, they're NOT meant to look like this!!! For whatever reason, this mount hasn't been doing its job for an unknown period of time... Lazy ass engine mounts. Time for some new ones I think!
All of us making sure that the engine wasn't going to foul on anything as we pulled it out.
Engine and gearbox being pulled out as one whole unit. From what I understand, having no front end on the car made it unbelievably easy to pull out. Pity that when it goes back in, this won't be the case... We did have some clearance issues with the power steering rack, but other than that it was pretty smooth sailing.
Kim appreciating a Nissan engine in its entirety.
The resulting cavity from pulling it all out. Amazing how roomy it is, although I suspect that may have something to do with the fact that structurally there's not a lot else left....
The engine in its new home... While it's out, I'll be taking the opportunity to refurbish it a bit. Replace seals, clean it up, address some outstanding issues etc.
What can I say... feels good to drive her again ;)
And its about this time that the storm rolled in... Cue an afternoon of chilling in the garage on spare tyres, drinking beer, listening to music and some all round good times :) Not a bad way to spend a Sundy arv!!!
Once again, thanks to Casey for the loan of his engine crane, Kim for the loaning of his van to pick up said engine crane, and the both of them for their help, extra set of eyes and general awesomeness! Now that this is done, the next step is to tackle the final tidy up before she gets taken into the smash repairers. Stay tuned.
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