Project Dollywobbler's Foxy little number

[dozeydustman]

This might seem like a weird suggestion. What about putting the front wheels on back to front? The photo above makes it look like the castors of the hoist are the same width as the Fox's track. Might give you a little wiggle room

[320touring]

Axle stands on the sills /chassis rails behind the front wheels.

 

Take the front wheels off.

[puddlethumper]

This will be of no help whatsoever but I see, on a regular, basis a 

red A reg Fox van round where I am. I dislike it because it's older

than my heap and I want to be driving the oldest daily in my hood yo.

I am hell bent on making mine last longer. It's all down to my

determination to be bottom dog.

[TheClutchBasketPodcast]

Support the front of the car somewhere in the centre of the chassis with 2 axel stands. That way the the legs of the hoist can go each side of the stands.

[TheClutchBasketPodcast]

Alternatively, take the car outside and load the engine in from the side using the hoist. Legs should go either side of the 1 wheel no problem

[TheClutchBasketPodcast]

3rd option is to get a Reliant Regal. No problems with front wheel interference then...

[320touring]

Alternatively, take the car outside and load the engine in from the side using the hoist. Legs should go either side of the 1 wheel no problem

Good lateral thinking ! ( Or thinking "Outside the Fox", so to speak)

[plasticvandan]

This won't help in any way,but might give you some enthusiasm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tt3rkWKWWW0

[Supernaut]

Good lateral thinking ! ( Or thinking "Outside the Fox", so to speak)

No, no, no!

 

He needs to put things inside the Fox. Namely, the engine.

[dollywobbler]

Alternatively, take the car outside and load the engine in from the side using the hoist. Legs should go either side of the 1 wheel no problem

 

Driveway is a combination of mud and gravel. I can't see that ending well.

[RayMK]

This won't help in any way,but might give you some enthusiasm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tt3rkWKWWW0

 

I had not seen that film before. Nice one! 

[SiC]

Could you not hoist the car up with the engine crane and straps, then move engine into place. Drop car down and then use the crane to help line up?

 

Is this chassis based? I.e. take the body off first, get everything setup on the chassis then drop the body back on.

[PhilA]

I had to put the Pontiac up on stands to get the engine crane to clear all the bits underneath. Just check your overhead- you may be able to shorten the chain on the crane by hooking it through a different link if not.

 

Does the owner of the crane have a leveler bar to go with it? Makes the lift up/over/tilt down significantly easier, even with a lightweight* engine like that.

 

Phil

 

 

*All things are relative

[dollywobbler]

I had to put the Pontiac up on stands to get the engine crane to clear all the bits underneath. Just check your overhead- you may be able to shorten the chain on the crane by hooking it through a different link if not.

 

Does the owner of the crane have a leveler bar to go with it? Makes the lift up/over/tilt down significantly easier, even with a lightweight* engine like that.

 

Phil

 

 

*All things are relative

 

No leveller bar. 

[Eddie Honda]

I've got a leveller bar and I'm not too far away. Only problem is the water

[dollywobbler]

To be honest, the biggest problem at the moment is I've had about 600 suggestions across social media and on here for how to proceed. Trying to decide what counts as useful info and what doesn't is tricky, but there are certainly folk with more experience of these engines in this chassis that I'm minded to pay attention to. Mrs DW might have her own thoughts, so we'll see what happens. 

 

That said, I'm mid-way through rebuilding the Skoda's rear wiper, so that might have to be priority number one tomorrow.

[PhilA]

Every single one of us know what's best.

 

Phil

[Mrcento]

It's impossible to say without being there seeing it in person and the struggles/what the issues are, but having seen the last video, the thought that went through my head when i saw how it was all mounted was "that'll be a pig to get in".

 

It looked kinda like the mounts themselves were angled in off the chassis rails? So simultaneously getting the engine angled into the bay, those to fall into place and getting the gearbox to align and slide on i could imagine great ballache.

 

I think if it were me tackling it (and i could be wrong, but just floating the suggestion out there), i'd have the car on stands for extra height and access, both engine mounts off on the engine side (the actual brackets unbolted) and be focusing on getting the engine in the slot and gearbox lined up. From there the mounts could probably be put in place with the engine still supported on the crane, mounts bolted onto the chassis and finally to the engine, using the crane as the aligner.

 

I'm no reliant expert, probably the opposite infact, but certainly done more than my fair share of cramming things into tiny engine bays and getting them all to line up!

 

 

The rear gearbox mount on that was a real pig to align, ended up having to swing the whole engine/gearbox assembly on one loosened mount and a floor jack just to get the bracket to line up and tighten the whole lot up in stages, one mount at a time (out of 3).

[dollywobbler]

Have redone my attachment points on the engine. Bit concerned I may not have enough slack in the chain - ie for tilting - so may have another go.

 

I've also removed the offside front wheel, so hopefully the hoist can now actually go as far as I need it to. I will soon have Mrs DW on hoist duty, because you can't align the engine and lower the hoist on your own. So, one more attempt at fitting it to the gearbox inside the car. If it isn't going to happen, I'll pull the gearbox out. Oh and one rear wheel is jacked up so if we get close, we can turn that wheel to turn the gearbox and hopefully align the splines. Wish us luck!

[AndySnapper]

Have redone my attachment points on the engine. Bit concerned I may not have enough slack in the chain - ie for tilting - so may have another go.

 

I've also removed the offside front wheel, so hopefully the hoist can now actually go as far as I need it to. I will soon have Mrs DW on hoist duty, because you can't align the engine and lower the hoist on your own. So, one more attempt at fitting it to the gearbox inside the car. If it isn't going to happen, I'll pull the gearbox out. Oh and one rear wheel is jacked up so if we get close, we can turn that wheel to turn the gearbox and hopefully align the splines. Wish us luck!

Good luck!

 

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

[brownnova]

Pob Lwc!!

[dollywobbler]

SATISFACTION.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Well done!  Looks like it was utter pig to get in.

[MorrisItalSLX]

How was the test drive? 

[egg]

Well done. I hope tea is being quaffed. 

[dollywobbler]

Well done!  Looks like it was utter pig to get in.

 

Wasn't too bad with two people, but I suspect we'll both be feeling it tomorrow. The engine sits a fair way back, which makes jigging it quite tricky. Mrs DW decided a crowbar would be useful. She wasn't wrong.

[Rocket88]

Wasn't too bad with two people, but I suspect we'll both be feeling it tomorrow. The engine sits a fair way back, which makes jigging it quite tricky. Mrs DW decided a crowbar would be useful. She wasn't wrong.

 

 Always listen to a woman with a crowbar..........

[TheClutchBasketPodcast]

I guess they call them plastic pigs because they are a pig to work on! At least you will feel that sweet mid engined handling on track days...

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Wasn't too bad with two people, but I suspect we'll both be feeling it tomorrow. The engine sits a fair way back, which makes jigging it quite tricky. Mrs DW decided a crowbar would be useful. She wasn't wrong.

 

 

She's rarely wrong by the sounds of it!

[dozeydustman]

Most excellent! Having had a few more looks at the progress and the engine bay, it's very much similar in layout to a Scimitar. They're a bit of a sod to get an engine in too.