Show me your organization skills... please

[Neilk]

Hi,

I have a couple of pulled head studs in my 2.4S that need to be fixed.

I 98% sure that I am going to tackle this myself but I am worried about keeping everything organized. Can some of you post tips or pictures on how you stayed organized?

I took my car apart to have it repainted and pulled the engine and changed the clutch before. I think my biggest problem was staying organized, hence my question.

Thanks,
Neil

[efhughes3]

Plastic baggies, lots of them, and a Sharpie. Put each component's hardware in its own baggie. Keep all the other engine parts on a roll-around cart or such so they don't end up all over the garage.

Lots of digital pics too.

[jwasbury]

+1000 on baggies and sharpie pen. I bought 2 boxes of gallon size ziplocks and 2 boxes of the next size down. That was plenty for my needs. I used large rubber maid boxes to store most of the larger components and sub assemblies. I was able to store pretty much the entire disassembled engine on one of those wire bakers racks that sits in my 1 car garage.

Other than lots of digital photos, I also made a point of labelling all the connections on the engine wire harness which was very helpful when I assembled 7 months.

[jimbauman]

+1 on pix... it helps to photograph everything the way it looks BEFORE you disassemble ... in whatever detail you think you need. Helps eliminate problems when you wonder "...now which way did THIS go....?"

JB

[cgarr]

So where do you get these bags you all speak of?

[jonesb930]

Keep in mind that plastic zip lock bags are great but they deteriorate over time. They should be fine if you stay on your project but if you intend to store your parts for beyond a year or so (mine were bagged for 5 years now) they will start to fall apart. What I did is took lost of digital pictures and immediately printed them out. I numbered fasteners and wrote on the pictures to identify them later. I did a complete tear down and build though so there were lots of parts to i.d.
Here is me the day she came apart:


Here is an "Organizational" shot during the case assembly

[shbop]

I like to use muffin pans. The ones with three rows of four work pretty well. I've got four of those marked 1-6. Sometimes I'll take a pen and mark "intake" and "exhaust". These pans are pretty handy just for keeping small parts organized, and they clean-up very easily.

[efhughes3]

Originally Posted by shbop

I like to use muffin pans. The ones with three rows of four work pretty well. I've got four of those marked 1-6. Sometimes I'll take a pen and mark "intake" and "exhaust". These pans are pretty handy just for keeping small parts organized, and they clean-up very easily.

I've tried that before-not recommended for klutz's like myself. Pretty disheartening when you knock a couple over. I'll stick with the baggies.

[lindy 911]

I tore my '78 SC down in 1991 and put it back together this past winter. I used baggies that were available then that just had the flap on top and not the zip lock. They are all still usable today, not sure why the bags deteriorated for Bill. I tore it down in Jacksonville, FL and put it back together in Montgomery, Texas; not sure if that has anything to do with it.

Lindy

[WinRice]

Originally Posted by jonesb930

Keep in mind that plastic zip lock bags are great but they deteriorate over time.

I had the same problem with standard storage bags, but 'Freezer' bags are thicker and seem to last longer.

[kenikh]

I like snack sized bags, too. Great for keeping fastener segragated. I label them with a Sharpie and when need, take a picture, print it then put it in the bag. If the parts are oily the pic gets its own bag inside the bag. I then collect fasteners from similar assemblies into larger bags, which I label accordingly. I also keep 3x5 cards habdly to sketch assembly order for fasteners. Works well.

[euro911sc]

Use the freezer bags as they have an area on them to use your sharpie to mark what they are. Buy brand name or dollar store kind... they all work fine, but the Zip Lock brand seem to hold up better for multiple uses. Buy the standard size and one of the large size.

Also, if you are planning on a long term store then order a bunch of USPS Priority Mail boxes to store it all in. The boxes are FREE AND they deliver them for FREE to your house! Then write on the outside of the boxes what is in what box. Also, keep like minded items in the same box (like all the right side cam stuff, etc...). Try and get 1 size so they stack nice and neat.

Muffin tins and the like are great for short term organization on dis-assy. or re-assy. but not good for long term store. They also collect dust and dirt so on build make sure they are clean when you put in your clean parts.

My auto parts store had large oil drip pans that I put on the bench. Then I used some blue tape to label parts piles and things like #1-#6 parts. It worked.

-Michael

[efhughes3]

Well now I know why postage keeps going up!

[88-diamondblue]

Baggies a must and there can't be enough pictures taken. REPEAT the more pictures the better. Also pictures as it's going back together. I was looking at PP one night and something that was being discussed made me think, more like panic "did I put that back together right". Looked at the pictures and sure enough it was on right...

Doing a rebuild of a 911 engine should be on the list of "need to do" in one's life. Enjoy!

[euro911sc]

Originally Posted by efhughes3

Well now I know why postage keeps going up!

Damn straight! I used to ship 50k+ packages a year... UPS and FedEx would not give me the time of day with regards to pricing... USPS blew their doors off and when you throw in the free box its amazing why anyone would NOT use USPS! Remember, they are not allowed to make a PROFIT! So its all at cost

Oh, and who carries USPS Priority mail around the country??? FEDEX!

-Michael