Karman Sutra

[Fiatdude]

Well, another car, another new begining, another name added to the list -- -- The Oval is dead, long live the Ghia -- stripping the last of the gofast parts off the oval and then it goes on the block -- in the mean time here is the newest victim of my abuse -- more pictures in
the future and as work SLOWLY progresses lol

[BAJA-IT]

Are you going to put the engine out of the oval into the ghia?

[Fiatdude]

yep -- --- yee haw

[FJCamper]

Hi FiatDude,

Your Ghia really looks good. I like it. Is this to be street legal, road race, what?

FJC

[Fiatdude]

add salt racer and time attack to the list and then choose (E) all the above -- when I get the car moved into the garage and have a minute or two I'll take more pictures and show some cool stuff about the car -- If you have a VW Trends from, I believe, August 97 there is an article on the car

[FJCamper]

Hi FiatDude,

Does this car have the apron cut away for quick engine removal? I may know it.

FJC

[Fiatdude]

yep

[FJCamper]

Hey FiatDude,

Yes, I know the car. You have got a real serious prize there.

Did you get an engine with it? Any spares? As I recall there was a lot that should have come with the car.

Get us some photos, please.

FJC

[Fiatdude]

no engines --- but several sets of trans gears for the 901 trans 5 speed (V for 4th and a ZA for 5th, both overdrives), got to get down to Bill Spear's and get them put in --- Front brakes are f'ed but just ordered new complete system from airkewld -- -- he had the glass and some parts to put the windows back in, stuff ordered for that -- it has a couple of dents that I would like to see gone, but maybe later -- got to get all the "stuff" out of the oval so I can transfer it into the Ghia -- need to sell oval -- Blah Blah Blah LOL --- --- it is setting up at a friends house under a car cover next to his 2 NASCAR road race cars -- man it looks small setting there --

[Fiatdude]

Pulling down the 2919 for inspection

[Fiatdude]

Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll, After working a 13 hour shift last night, I started to regain some sort of mental and physical functioning at about 2pm this afternoon --- My big plan was to get the flywheel off the short block and get it into the mail to Kennedy to get the 6v ring gear cut off and a harden tooth 12v ring gear installed and also have it modified to run their dual disc clutch setup.

I spent 4+ hours trying to loosen the 38mm big butt nut off this damn thing with absolutely no freaking luck. I had 3 friend over, 15 different suggestions, one "I always loosen that first" comment (Thanks for bringing that up NOW) -- tried heating the damn thing -- freezing it -- lubing it with everything penetrating this and loosen that goop I could buy at every auto parts store with 5 miles (there is 6 of them by the way, for those of you counting) --- had 6 of my skinny friends holding a bar for leverage on one side of the engine while my big ass was using my 8 foot 3/4" breaker bar on the nut was on the other side..... This f-ing nut ain't budging. So rather than blow the damn thing up with some C4, I called it a day and decided to write a freaking paragraph on my frustration and hope that someone reading this tirade can come with something really cool I haven't thought of or some magic twanger that will make this nut fall the f off............... f-ing Volkswagens

[FJCamper]

Hi FIATDude,

Dismount the engine from the stand and get it on the floor.

Get one of the helping hand tools http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp ... 26-000-145 (or make one)

Brace the case against the floor with 2x4's where necessary to even out the load you're about to put on it.

With a 3/4 drive breaker bar and socket, and a brave assistant to hold it on the gland nut, you slip a six-foot pipe over the breaker bar handle and slowly try to loosen that varmit.

Be prepared for the gland nut to break. If it does, you can use a chisel to rotate out the threaded section. Most of the stubborness will be gone.

Alternatives are flywheel lock and a strong air gun to try and hammer it out, or if desperate, chisel out the nut the old school way with a big chisel, a blowtorch, and lots of time and bad language.

When do we start calling you GhiaDude?

FJC

[Steve Arndt]

3/4 impact gun is what you may need, with high air pressure.

[Fiatdude]

Went to Dynasaur tires here in Yucaipa -- the Dude had to whoop out the big 1" to get my nut off --- Then said no charge -- I slipped him a fiver anyway for some cerveza for tonight

[Fiatdude]

Saturday -- a simple task of pulling off the flywheel and spliting the case -- wife off to a girlie party -- 3-4 hrs of garage time -- no problem -- yeah right --------

Spent first hour tearing apart the garage looking for my cool old school flywheel puller, you remember the kind that looked like a old Pressure plate with the big screw through the middle -- -- it's gone --- must of loaned it out 20 years ago and never got it back -- -- chit -- -- Hit all the car parts store again for the second time in two days asking for the impossible tool -- -- Was being helped by this tall blonde assisant manager lady and I keep looking at her and looking at her and looking at her --- --- and I finally get this angle of her face -- --- I Know You -- she turns out to be one the girls we cruised E st with in San Bernardino back in the late 70's-80's -- -- we dated very briefly when I was 25-26 and she turned out to be 16 --- ooooops -- --- We spent a hour catching up and the fly wheel was still in the crank and no puller -- so I go home and do what any good VW guy does in a pinch -- I make one --- which takes an hour and a half with the welder, cutoff saw, grinder, drill motor, and a bunch of very dull bits -- I bolt it onto the flywheel and as it comes off I get a text -- "On my way home Honey" -- -- a quick clean up of the garage and I'm climbing out of the shower as she drives into the driveway.

She thinks I have cleaned up so well, she takes me down to Palm Springs for dinner at LULU's --- A Good Day