Driveshaft attached to transmission doing engine install?

[alan.barker]

As TBG says.
Gearbox in first. Engine to follow. No shame in doing it this way.
There seems to be some rite of passage in struggling with it in one lump.
Call me a big girls blouse but only tried it once with Plus 2 and there was no way. Sandwich plate fouling on engine mounts. Never again. Two of us.
I can "engine out and in" on my own doing them separately. No bother.

+1 100%
I do it myself also no problem.
Remove: Engine only then after remove Gearbox.
To replace 1st Gearbox only very easy.
then replace Engine only very easy.
I must be a big girls blouse also
Alan

[MarkDa]

When I next do it I'll do separately - but (here's the curse ) I'm not planning on doing for many years.
Maybe I'll just let my son do it for me then

[Matt Elan]

Me and a mate (hi Dave) struggled for a morning to put his sprint engine and gearbox in together and that was after Dave had tried for most of the previous day. We split the engine and gearbox and put the box in followed by the engine in a couple of hours that afternoon with no drama. So I’m firmly in the pop them in separately as is my brother in law who’s owned his S4 for some 50 years.......

[tdskip]

Happy Friday gentlemen-I have a progress report of sorts.

Took the gray shifter assembly off in the top bits and then got the engine back into place single-handedly. It went in super easy and I managed to get the passenger side motor mounts installed to the frame.

BUT check this out - I expected that once the passenger side mount was fitted the driver side with lineup but look at the distance between the frame and where the motor mount is. That can’t be right, and I don’t see how I can close that gap.

I don’t remember the motor mounts being handed, I’m sure this is some newbie mistake but I’m scratching my head.

[gjz30075]

You're missing the spacers. Little tubes about 1.12" long that go between the engine and mount.

[Bigbaldybloke]

The previous picture shows them nicely, they are nothing special and easy to make if you have access to a lathe. Note that there should also be a substantial earth strap across the engine mount otherwise you’ll have problems when you try the starter motor.
You might want to make a heat shield to protect the alternator from the exhaust, I made a simple one from alloy sheet, previously I had fried the electrics in two alternators.

[steve lyle]

RD Enterprises has the spacers listed on their web site.

[tdskip]

Well then - hazards of a newbie buying a disassembled car.

Are there spacers on both sides?

Those pictures, and heat shield suggestion, are very helpful. Thank you.

[mbell]

Just the exhaust side. The measurements can be find on here. Probably easy to buy a length of rod from a hard water store, cut a few pieces and drill a hole through them. They don't need to be to precise in size just make sure they all approx the same length.

[tdskip]

Thanks - I can figure that out once I find the sizing. Let me get searching.

[MarkDa]

Glad you had an easy install in the end.

[tdskip]

Glad you had an easy install in the end.

Likely because of all the practice doing it the hard/impossible way!

I still need to fit the driveshaft, the engine went in so fast that I located the whole assemy where it bolts up in one move. It went in so easy that I blew right past fitting the driveshaft before slotting it home. Oops.

I’d like to take a second and say THANK YOU to everyone for all of the help. It has been an “interesting” experience being totally new to Elans and having a car that someone else took apart 27 years ago.

The prior owner and the community here have been hugely supportive, and I am confident that with your continued coaching I’ll have another one back on the road in SoCal soon.

[tdskip]

Found the grommet - and turns out I need a whole new carpet set as the closer I got to it the worse it smelled like rats.

[Bigbaldybloke]

If you want it a bit quieter in the car might be worth fitting a layer of Dodo mat sound deadening or similar. Available online from various suppliers either in A4 sized sheets or a larger roll, it’s self adhesive and sticks well.

[alan.barker]

Imho it's best not to stick anything to the Floor because when it gets wet it will stink.
Use Poppers or Press Studs.
Alan