You're jerking me here right???

You mean to tell me you have to remove the entire thermostat housing to
replace the thermostat.  Not that that's a huge deal--but I just waited a
total of a week for the new thermostat and new gasket for the thermostat
assuming I could drop the bottom of the thermostat housing and replace the
old thermostat. But that bottom doesn't seem to want to clear the exhaust
manifold. I can't get the bottom of the housing off with the water pump,
thermostat housing, and exhaust manafold installed. Am I doing something
wrong?

So does the entire thermostat housing have to come off to replace the
thermostat and then replace the "O" ring to the steel pipe and the gasket to
the water pump and that short length of hose to the engine block?

Mind you I'm not angry at the list but those VW whizbangs could have included
a note about this in Bentley. "The entire thermostat housing needs to be
removed to replace the thermostat so you better F&*##ing get all the gaskets
and O rings before you tear it down you pig dog Amercian type" something like
that. Or the supplier I used might have mentioned I'd need gaskets for the
housing to do the swap. (I already have the thermostat and the thermostat O
ring.) Or, you've got me, I could have posted before I tore down the thing,
but it looked straight forward.

Is there anything I should know? Any advice appreciated.

I'm an hour from the nearest dealer, basically stuck, and now would have to
wait the weekend for the additional gaskets.

Frustrated south of Reno, NV
Jeff
83.5 Westy