Fire in the hole!

We can always make more money, but we can't make more time.
Paul Jackson of www.vanvoyage.co.uk

Right, it's time to get on with things and get this engine back into the gaping great hole at the back of this Kombi.

First of all let's shove it back into the garage so we can work under cover, on a level surface.

Then comes the second scariest chop that I have made on this project (the first being The Big Chop over here), making space for the taller new carburettor and air filter. A big hole in the top of the engine bay / bottom of the rear cargo area must be made.

A little grinding action and...that didn't hurt too badly. What's next? Ah yeah, engine in. Let's line it all up carefully first and make sure that it's going to fit in now with the new hole in the engine bay.

After a bit of jiggling and struggling we remembered that the clutch pedal was depressed so the clutch plate and pressure plate were all akimbo. We jammed a box under the clutch pedal and then engine slid easily into place with no more resistance.

Four bolts fastened and we're dandy. We reconnected the starter motor which we had serviced last month and then we unpacked the new gaskets and started fitting the new Empi four-into-one exhaust recently purchased.

There's nothing for it now but to connect the freshly-charged battery and give it a swing! It took a bit of winding up to get the fuel all flowing properly through the system but she fired up beautifully and sounds amazing through the new exhaust - very fruity! We are going to have to take it easy for a while until everything gets bedded in nicely and all the newly machined parts can get better acquainted with each other, but it all seems just lovely for now. Very stoked to have the old heart beating again.

The accelerator return spring is a bit too feeble to return the accelerator pedal to the upright position as the new, longer accelerator cable is a bit heavier and stiffer than the original. We have a couple of other, very minor issues to resolve but we should be driving Miss Marigold around the suburbs very soon :)

Thanks Marius and Gerry for the continuous help, it's always a pleasure working with you guys.

Thanks for coming by, pop in soon for the next update
CooP