3 - Deconstructing the Donor

...and so it begins!

Well I couldn't wait for parts to get started so here's what I did.  First, measure the wheel wells.  Remember I'll be adding weight to the car in batteries, so measuring the wheel well will tell me exactly at what height the car should ride.

This is what we start out with:

Now for the dismantle - or "what I did today":

Remove the hood

Disconnect battery

Remove battery and tray

Remove air filter and all compenents (dont' forget to label all wires!)

Remove bracket under air filter (we're trying to shave as much weight as possible)

Drain coolant and oil

Remove radiator and fan

Remove CC unit

Remove PS reservoir

Remove AC condenser and evaporator

Remove PS cooling line

I'm saving all the components to the PS system as I may need to put some of them back in.  I could go with manual steering, but again, the car will be heavier with all those batteries (more on those later).  The reason I'm removing the stock PS components now is I have purchased this:

This is an electric PS pump from a 2000 Toyota MR2 that will provide hydraulic fluid to my PS rack.  I've saved my original power steering hoses and fittings so that I can have custom fluid lines made to fit the new pump in a new location.

Day 2

Ok, not a whole lot done today.  I am taking my time and really paying attention to what I take apart and being sure to label all wires and document the teardown.  So going is slow.  Here are a couple of pics of a slightly more disassembled engine compartment...

Removed:

Coolant reservoir

Vaccumn line to brakes

Firewall emission control module

Washer reservoir (will go back in but maybe in better location)

Exhaust manifold heatshield

PS pump

Belt tensioner and drivebelt

AC compressor

many misc hoses/brackets/etc

Dismantle day 3

(or.. why things always take longer than planned!)

I didn't get any calls on selling the good engine, and I really wanted to pull it without taking out the transmission.  So I tried to just tear the engine apart.  As I've never dismantled an engine before, it was a good learning experience for me.  I got a lot done today.  Over 200lbs have already been shed and the engine and exhaust are still in:

Intake manifold

Alternator

Starter

Valve cover

lots of misc bits and pieces

GAS TANK!!  (big step!)

Ok, now that I have lot of stuff out of the way, there's an important step to remember.  The engine won't be here so I need to make sure that the passenger side axle (which mounts to the engine block) stays at EXACTLY  the same position it is in now.  Also, I need to make sure the transmission is in the same position when finished!  This is very important.

Day 4

I finally decided that the engine and tranny were to come out as a pair.  Today I removed the driveshafts, shift linkage, etc and got it all ready for the removal of the oil and grease soaked beast!  The exhaust, heat shields, fuel lines, emissions lines all came out as well.  So far I've removed 300lbs of weight.  I weigh it all as it comes out.  I'll take a break over the weekend, but by next week, the engine should be out and the new "Motor" compartment should be all cleaned up.  Just a couple of pics for todays work.  Mostly, I added to the pile of parts.  Hmm, I wonder how much I can get for scrap metal on all this?

Day 5 - The engine comes out!!

Here's the part where I admit that taking the engine and transmission out wasn't nearly as bad or scary as I had thought it might be.  Really it's just about making sure that everything is disconnected properly.  I had it down to just the left and right mounts this morning when I went to my local tool rental shop.  Assembly of the hoist, attaching it to the engine, unbolting the remaining mounts and removing the engine took about 15 minutes.  Piece of cake!  I highly suggest that you get the right tools to do ANY job; it goes so much faster and easier. 

The engine and transmission are separated, and the new "Motor" bay is ready for a good cleaning.  No more oil or grease to make it dirty in the future!  A major milestone has been reached, and after weighing the block, a total of 591lbs have been removed from the car.  This is better than the 500lbs I was estimating, and will help quite a bit as I will be adding about 1200lbs in EV compenents with batteries, motor, controller and misc parts!

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page 4 - Preparing the Donor

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