Annoying Project Mysteries
 

I'm approaching the finish line on the freshening of my cabriolet's engine and have run into one of those annoying parts mysteries. I'm ready to mount the muffler and last evening started looking through my parts boxes and bags for the catalytic converter rear heat shield bracket. I know I've seen it, but dang if I can find the stupid thing. I think in my vaguest of memories I even passed over it once, and thought to remind myself to not forget about it.

What bugs me is the front heat shield bracket was cracked (one of the ears had broken off) and I was super careful in keeping the broken parts together over the many months of this project. Over the weekend, I welded the cracked bracket and installed it when I put the catalytic converter and crossover pipe back on.

I know I could run without the rear heat shield bracket, but I suspect I'll find the frackin' bracket the moment after I bolt everything up. I'll try another intensive search this evening, which bugs me because your natural inclination is to move on with things.

Brian

I hate it when parts go missing in the middle of a repair. I always assumed it was the wife, or the step kid who picked it up and set it down somewhere where it does not belong. It could not be me... right?

Best of luck to you, sounds like you should be rolling fairly soon.

Mine was all broken up and barely hanging on when I needed a new cat. I threw it away and have not regretted it. No problems either that I know of. I was careful in routing the o2 sensor wire directly away from the heat.

I've tried to be extremely systematic by bagging and labeling items and connections, and by keeping parts in groups. By and large, it's worked out great. I've had no mysteries in reconnecting the engine wiring harness to all the CIS gizmo wonderments. Ditto for the vacuum lines.

I'm just a frackin' bracket bridge too far on this one. I've polled my wife and son with the old, "I'm looking for a bracket that's yay big by about ... " This gets met with blank stares and advice to retrace my steps (from what, four months ago?).

I think I'll go for a cursory search and roll on. If I find it later, I'll put it on then. The cat heat shield is firmly mounted everywhere else expect the two extreme aft points.

The exhaust system has been a battle since day one. I had to cut off three-fourths of the nuts and bolts (I'm using the term nuts and bolts loosely here) to get everything apart. So, now that I'm putting it all back together (with new automotive-grade fasteners and lots of anti-seize), I would like to have everything right if I can.

Brian

This isn't a problem with the stuff I sent you, is it?

No, Mike, not at all. There's a spare bracket in there, but I'll have to look for that one.

I'm fixated on the one I lost at the moment. You're golden. ;)

Brian

OK, just wanted to make sure. :)

I looked around again last night for the missing bracket and I think the answer to the mystery is I never had one to begin with. Doh! ;)

I opened the boxes of spare parts that I recently bought from Mike (thanks again!) and found a correct rear heat shield bracket attached to the spare cat and shield. A few burps of the impact gun and the bracket was free of its heat-rusticated bonds. Following some taps with the hammer to straighten things out, two new T-type retainer nuts and it was on the engine along with the muffler.

The engine is getting heavy on the stand now ...

Brian