Allan Broadribb

I was sitting in my 70-911E at traffic lights last Friday in first gear with my foot on the clutch. Suddenly there is a bang and everything stops. The clutch pedal was on the floor so I figured with a bit of luck it was a busted cable. The engine restarted OK, so I turned it off started it in first gear and got to a nearby plaza. Got triple A to carry me home.

Right now the engine is on the garage floor and I have separated the transmission and found the pivot bolt for the clutch fork has sheared off. A $50 fix - fantastic.

My question is, Superman, I remember you had problems putting the clutch fork back in the wrong way. When you did it the second time how did you manage to get the fork behind the release bearing - I haven't tried yet as I have just ordered the parts. I'd like to learn from your experiemce as I'd really like to get it right first time.

I've never dropped a Porsche 911 engine before. I followed the Pelican article on engine removal which says you can leave the transmission in the car. I was concerned about getting the engine aligned with the gear box drive shaft when trying to put it back in. So, I decided to drop the engine and tranny and separate them afterward. I think it was the right thing to do. It doesn't require much more work to remove and should be a lot easier to reinstall - but ask me next weekend about that one.

I must admit that I feel really good about dropping the engine, feels like a real achievement, a sort of "rite of passage" in Porsche ownership.

Regards to all for tolerating my postings.