1 more @#$! bolt

Buddy David came over again. We got all the bolts except for one off the tranny on the passenger side. That one bolt is the only thing keeping the engine in (except the engine mounts themselves). If anyone has tips, secrets etc for hard to remove bolts, now would be a good time to share. I would be most appreciative.

We gave up on that bolt and went to the rear. We have to drop the rear axle assembly to remove the gas tank. We got both shocks/coils off and loosened the four bolts keeping the bracket in. It shouldn't be hard to get the thing off from here. Getting it back on will be another matter.

The point of no return

I've never been confident that I'd succeed with this project. However, until now, I could have the car (or what's left) towed away. I'm about to drop the rear axle. At that point, I'm not sure it can be moved. I suppose there are ways to move wrecks. Still I have the sense of getting in deeper and deeper.

A tribute to engineers

Working on this car has given me an appreciation for engineers. Given what we put our vehicles through, they are amazingly reliable and durable (that point came to me when I could not drill a hole in the gas tank).

Why they need so many types and sizes of bolts is beyond me, but there must be a reason.

Getting there....

After breaking a bit last night, I got a new one today. All the bolts from the transmission to one axle (drivers side) came out. Now I have to do the other. I'd be more excited except it will be very difficult because the access is limited. If we had been able to remove the intake/exhaust manifold, I'd have access.

What a mess!

Tonight David M, brother of Stuart M, came by to lend a hand. We removed one bolt that connects the transmission to the axle/CV joint and then the bit broke. I'd really like to get that transmission disconnected from the axle so we can raise the engine.

Without that bit, we went to remove the gas tank. To remove the gas tank, we have to lower the axle. We took off the wheels and disconnected the brake lines. We got stuck removing the bolt for the coil/shock absorber and called it a night.

Garage is looking pretty bad.

Back on the Road (sort of)

Perhaps it was Independence day that inspired me to return to the car or perhaps it was my friend's Stu's enthusiasm when he showed up, but we made some progress. The great thing about Stu is that he's really happy banging away with a hammer.

We got the air compressor off. Most of all we got the exhaust disconnected from the engine. The next step is to disconnect the transmission from the axle and start lifting. I'm not sure it will come out without removing more components, but we should be able to gain better access.