Nesting

(Originally posted Thursday May 5, 2009 on http://macevfamilyadventure.blogspot.com)
The car, which I haven't seen, is scheduled to arrive Thursday. I'm itching to see how much (little) rust there is.

This conversion reminds me of having children. Except this time I'm the one going through the pain. The nesting urge was overwhelming tonight. I need tools and a space to work. The plan is to work on the car on the patio behind our garage (there's no back to our garage). It'll be hot and there will be a lot of mosquitos. So I ordered the Texsport Party Hut Screen Arbor. It's a 15x17. The walls are screened. It's scheduled to arrive 5/11. So I have a week with the bugs. If I get lucky the West Nile will counter the Swine flu.

Tonight I went to Pep boys (Babies R Us). I got the shop manual for the VW (the What to Expect when you're expecting or the Pediatricians Guide). This is the Haynes Repair Manual for 1975-1992. According to the cover, it "includes essential information for today's more complex vehicles." I turned to the part about engine removal. I immediately got that "I'm in way over my head" feeling. For example, step three "If the vehicle is fuel-injected, relieve the fuel system pressure (see Chapter 4). I don't know how to tell if it's fuel injected. Maybe it will have a sign on it.

But that's not the bad part. I turn to Chapter 4. Here are the 4 steps for fuel pressure relief (after the dire warnings about gasoline): (1) Before disconnecting the fuel line, the fuel pressure must be released from the fuel line to eliminate any danger of fire or contamination. (2) Remove the fuel pump fuse to temporarily disable the fuel pump. (3) Allow the engine to run until it stalls. (4) Disconnect the negative battery cable before performing any work on the fuel system.

So when do I start the engine? Before step 1 or 3? It seems to me that relieving fuel pressure is indeed work on the fuel system so should I perform step 4 first - clearly not or it would be step 1...but then there's that warning about the fuel. Well I joined VWVortex.com. Let's see if a post produces an answer.

Also, bought miscellanous stuff including shop rags (baby wipes), engine cleaner (disinfectant), eye protection, WD-40 (baby oil). The big expenses were an engine hoist and a creeper (that thing mechanics lie on to roll under the car) and a cool looking jack. Total damage at Pep Boys: about $250 after a $40 rebate. Maybe I'll be able to sell some of this stuff later.

My new best friend is Bill Lentfer at Electro Automotive, the firm that provides the conversion kit. He's been great at answering my questions. Once I called and hung up without leaving a message. He called me anyway. We went over the prices and the options. His attentiveness was so great that I wasn't even annoyed (maybe a tiny bit) that the prices are different from those on the price list on their website. This will be the big check and will get its own post soon. Let me just say that I'm not sending the check until I see the car.

Current total $1,410. Think of all the money I'm going to save on gas...haha. And hey, who can put a price on a baby?

Also, Noah seems to be losing interest. I'm hoping it will be reignited when the car arrives.