TheSamba.com :: View topic - Dropping engine out of beetle chassis woody

Tue Jul 09, 2019 3:27 am

Other than putting jackstands on blocks and the jack itself on blocks to lift the beetle woody high enough so the engine can drop down and slide out, is there "cheaper" and faster way of dropping my engine in the garage?

As you can see in the beetle woody photos, when the shelf is removed you have direct access to the top two engine bolts. Nothing is hindering your view or wrench. With the stock beetle metal curve, you cannot poke your head above the fan shroud to see the engine mount bolts. It appears convenient design for engine maintenance.

I do not have a jack that will lift high enough and do not have tall enough jack stands to clear, so i use wood blocks underneath to get enough clearance.

Ive dropped and installed a beetle engine twice back around 2008 Its pretty easy to do... really time consuming setting up 2x4 blocks under the jackstands and jack going front to back 2 inches at a time.

At the time i used the jack with some wood cradle and two people to pull engine off studs then lower to ground.

All this to replace a $8 seal. When i last drove it, it was running quite well i thought, checked for leaks, and the only leak appears to be around the engine mounting area.

Engine was rebuilt by the makers of the car in three hills alberta in the early 1990s when the woody kit car was made. And its spent time after that im guessing being towed around to car shows and switching owners many times before i was the lucky one to restore it.

I found the people who made this car and managed to talk to them on the phone, thanks to a tip and a name at a car show i did a Google search and called the guy up. So im pretty confident that there is only one leak on the engine...

Tue Jul 09, 2019 5:47 am

I think most people remove the fan shroud, then pull the engine out the side through the wheel well. Still gotta get it pretty high and watch out for the oil cooler.

Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:10 am

Get quality jack stands and a high lift jack from Harbor Freight. Because this will not be the only time the engine has to come out. Hopefully, your oil seal issue is just that, and not leaking from excessive end play. Also measure your clutch disc thickness while the pressure plate is off.

I get the engine out and on the ground and then jack up the body as necessary, using a wood block if needed. Yes, I've also slid the engine out through the wheel well.

Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:20 am

looks like you may have to pull that 2x4 crossmember to slide the engine back far enough to get it out....other than that theres nothing about pulling your engine thats any different than any stock bug...get yourself a decent floor jack and stands...its not like you'll never need them again and compared to what you're gonna spend on this resto they're a small percent... there's no reason for your hobby to kill you

Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:30 am

You could invest about 3K for 2 post hoist.... Or simply get good jack stands and jack capable of high lifts.....

Don't see how pulling out engine is any different than standard beetle...

You could remove rear apron so engine can come straight out, but then you have to deal with hot air being sucked back over top of engine and then that is another issue....

Dale

Tue Jul 09, 2019 7:48 am

If it were mine I would build that rear brace out of metal and have it bolt through the fenders onto the bumper brackets. It could have a hoop that gave you clearance for engine work and be much stronger. If you need wood back there to attach things too you could weld on tabs that it would bolt to.

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Diagonal braces would have to be made from top of hoop to the ends where the sides bolt on. The hoop would also be much higher to clear generator when pulling out engine.

brad

Tue Jul 09, 2019 11:41 am

Get yourself a set of rear transaxle mounts and a tranny input shaft seal. Youl will probably need them. Interesting project. I dropped and installed the engine in my maroon Vwoodie about 4 times in my one bay before I had the shop and a lift. As said, good jackstands are a must or do like I did which was using cement blocks and crap and roll the dice and give your spouse a heart attack....

You have a bit of work ahead of you on that car. Good luck...