I took Saturday off work to try and get my car back together. We(My wife helping) got the trans back on the engine. Hoisted the car up with the engine hoist and slid the motor under it with a furniture dolly. This is the easy way to put the motor in a VW, and probably a lot of other front drivers. USUALLY. First the exhaust system was in the way and the bolts were seized so I had to torch it off. I had already put the header on, because it easier and there were no clearance issues with the manifold/downtube and has a similar shape. Similar is the key word. The header is just enough different that it kept the motor mounts from slipping into their brackets. We removed one of the mounts and it popped right in place. This was after spending about 45 minutes trying other stuff because it LOOKED like it would go in.
Now we are onto the halfshafts. When I installed the Peloquin limited slip, I had to go to 100mm cups. So I also had to get bigger haflshafts to fit. I had heard there were clearance issues with some of these and the bearing carriers. So I installed the driver side unit just in the carrier and torqued it. No problem. So we finish installing it Now to the passenger side. This side requires all but removing the bearing carrier to get the shaft past the back of the motor and the front of the control arm end. We get everything in place, torque the hub nut and lock the mother up tight. CRAP. I remove the carrier and go after it with die grinder. Hit the ground area with a sharpie(Poor mans prussian blue) reinstall it, torque it, turn the carrier. then remove it and grind some more. Finally it is all good. I reinstall it torque up everything, and notice the bearing lock ring sitting on the bench. Again, CRAP. I give up and go to bed.
The next morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, I decide that if I just remove the hub bolt and take the lower end of the strut loose I will be able to shift the carrier back enough to pop the snap ring in. I was right.
It took about fifteen minutes.
Rebushing the front end has moved things around a bit. The antisway bar no longer lines up with its end mounts. Because of clearance issues the only way to adjust the ends is to remove the brackets, turn the rod ends, reinstall the brackets, assemble and check for binding. Three tries for that. Not to bad really. Then install the lower stress bar, which went on with no hassle.
The easy stress bar install was more than offset by installing the O2 sensor. The threads in the header(used and free) were damaged. So I had to tap it out up in the "tranny" tunnel. There was just enough room to get the tap, with no handle, in there. I even had the 18mm tap in the right pitch. It took about a half hour, turning the tap with a 10mm wrench, just a bit at a time. The steel is so brittle it is like cutting thru hard facing. I was waiting for the tap to break off, but finally it was thru and the sensor was in place.
Now to the exhaust. I removed the rest of the stock exhaust with the plan of using parts of it. The stuff only measured 1.5" and it turned out the muffler had a hole in it.
Screw it. I make some measurements, roll down to Auto Zone(Loop road is closed by now) and pick up a Cherry Bomb(PLEASE let this thing be quieter than it looks) because it was the only one that would fit in the space. I also get some X to X couplers in several sizes and some 2 1/4" sticks. I already had a 2 1/4" U-bend. I do a bunch of grinding and shaping to get everything to join tight. Then gas weld everything together. I have one weld left, the one that determines the angle of the side exit. and it will be ready to install. So I quit for the night because I still have to go to the grocery store and cook dinner.
Tomorrow night after work, all the wiring will start. It has to be done before 6pm on Thursday, so I will not have to back out of the rallycross.
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But it gave me a chance to put about three hours on the car and make sure it works like it is supposed to.