[bigel]

Nice job getting after it and pulling the engine as a neophyte.

Take your time and don’t get worked up while you move forward with your project.

My journey with an ‘87 Targa with several broken head studs is documented on the forum.

It’s great to work on these air cooled engines.

And to answer your question…yes, you can take apart the engine dirty. Do clean it before reassembling it however.

Good luck!