Break Time

Wednesday was super busy for me from get-up to past-bedtime, so I didn't get to call Mark for some clarification, and I didn't get much time to do anything else on the Jetta. I decided to take a break from the actual build, but still get a little work done. The VR6 I bought on the cheap has a few dings in the fenders and rear door, but who cares right? The main issue with it was the previous owner failed to replace bad shocks and still enjoyed railroad tracks and bumpy dirt roads apparently. He scraped and cracked the oil pan and ran it low on oil. I can see the remains of a JB Weld fix, but that got knocked off partially too since he still didn't fix the suspension that was causing his dilemma. Anyway, this non-car-guy apparently ran it low on oil again and caused some engine damage. That was the story between what I was told and what I figured out. So I scrounged some spare parts and put it all back together in the engine compartment, filled the fluids, and gave her a crank. Vroom! clack clack clack clack knock knock knock knock sputter knock die . . . Ok I've officially confirmed for myself that I am indeed going to buy that vr6 engine I've been looking at in the classifieds. I'll use this one for spare parts and scrap the rest unless I have enough to work with to rebuild it someday. . . yeah like I'm going to have time for that. Anyway, now I can stop cutting corners on the official teardown order. I was supposed to disconnect and remove the muffler, fuel tank, lines, engine, etc. but wanted to check on the engine first. I could probably do at least the front rough cuts for now, but we'll see. I'll call Mark in the morning unless he calls me first.