|
John, other than the timing belt and water pump, which was the first thing that was done upon purchase, and engine/transmission internals, I've done all the work on the car. That's not saying much about my skills since these are pretty easy to work on cars - almost entry level in my book. Also, the good shops in my area are booked solid and just don't have the desire to tackle 15-20 hour clutch and torque tube replacements.
I cut my teeth on the '79 924 that I had for a couple years as I fought the rust issues (horribly rusty fuel tank, contaminated fuel system, poor start condition, etc., etc.). That helped a bit to have some of that experience when tackling some of the longer jobs like yanking the torque tube. I think I can get a transmission out of a 924/924S in under a few hours if I go quick and there is no rust. Practice makes perfect.
I did feel a sense of accomplishment when the old torque tube came out of the car and was on my shop floor... That was a big job.
As mentioned, I get distracted by wishing to clean up the area I'm working on...that adds to the hours...
It's all done during winter time (which is long here in WI) and are enjoyable projects. The worst is correcting poor mechanic's past work that was messed up. I think I spent 5 hours backing out a cross threaded reference sensor bracket bolt. D@mn, that was tough working...millimeter by millimeter I backed it out with a specialty Vice Grips. Someone cross threaded that at some point. I believe I threw the messed up bolt (once I got it out) about two counties over to the west... It would have been easier to pull the motor I think than try to work in that cramped area by the clutch housing. Just kidding...but not much.
Putting the fresh clutch and flywheel (new from Germany - ouch $) in was fun though and I know it'll probably outlast me.
I go slow and use shop manuals, YouTube and Clark's Garage as my source of assistance to get these jobs done. Again, I don't have very good mechanical skills.
|