It isn't *necessary* to loosen the front tranny mount, but since that
mount wasn't designed for rotational force, and you are going to rotate
it 30-45 degrees, you stand a fair chance of ruining the mount if you
don't loosen it.

Whatever you do, DON'T FORGET TO TIGHTEN IT BACK when you are done.
There was a horror story on list back in the late 1990s about a listee
who picked his van up from the shop after a motor swap and this mount
hadn't been tightened. Eventually the bolt backed out, the nose of the
tranny hit the pavement and tried to dig its way to China. Ugly.

Anywho. Got to go.

Developing business and guiding change since 1996,

G. Matthew Bulley
Bulley-Hewlett
Marketing & Communications
Business: www.bulley-hewlett.com
AIM = IExplain4u
Phone: +1.919.658.1278

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
Of Tom Young
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 4:08 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: seeking Air Cooled info/advice (82 Westy)

From: "G. Matthew Bulley" <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 11:04 AM
Subject: Re: seeking Air Cooled info/advice (82 Westy)

> Motor swap is so darned easy on this vehicle after doing it once or
> twice you can do it with your hands tied behind your back, with a
> blindfold on. Sometimes I ask for shackles, a bed of nails, and a ball
> and chain, just to make it a challenge.

I should have you come out and drop/replace an engine (like I did this
weekend) on my hillside driveway (2-way slope) utilizing the assistance
of
my wife who tries hard but is the proverbial 98 lb. weakling!  Now
that's a
challenge!

> [snip]
> 4.      Disconnect the EFI harness from the ECU, the alternator plug,
> the coil wires (that go to the motor), throttle cable, and the double
> relay connection,

      and the large cable that runs from the alternator, through
      the tin and connects to the starter.

>[snip]
> 7.      Loosen the motor to tranny bolts slightly, the transmission
> (nose) mount bolt [about 4 turns loosened] and the mount-to-frame
bolts
> slightly.

     I've never really found this necessary, though it doesn't hurt
anything
     to do so.

>[snip]

> 10.     Remove the noise dampers (black accordion gizmos) on the heat
> system and disconnect the heater/flapperboxes.

        I've always just disconnected the heat control valves from the
        connector pipes to the heat exchangers.  While you're under
        there disconnect the gas lines (feed and return) from both
        sides of the engine.
>[snip]

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Tom Young                        '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549          '82 Westfalia
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