Getting ready to start, but need to move the car sideways... Options

[Mike Pearson]

OK, I'm about ready to move the car over to where I can actually drop the engine/tranny and start work on it, but it's been sitting in the same spot for 7 years now. The rear wheels have sunk into the mud a bit (not too bad...just created a little trough). I put it up on a jack and made sure the rears turn (the brakes aren't locked/frozen). Unfortunately, where it's sitting is on a little uphill section. I need to turn it 90 degrees. The easiest way, where it's sitting, would be to pick up the front end and walk it over about 8 feet. Yeah, right...I don't think *that* going to happen...we have maybe 3 people that can help.

I was looking, and we have a large Douglas fir tree. I was thinking that we may be able to tie a tow strap to the front A-arm, pass it around the tree, and use the Subaru Outback to pull the front end around. This would be moving it in an arc, turning the car about 45 degrees to where we could actually push it to roll it into place.

If the engine hadn't gotten water into it I would just use the starter motor to help move it, but it's in a rather tight spot. How much (potential) damage would we do by dragging the front end sideways through the dirt? Any other ideas? We tried pushing it earlier, but the bumper on the Outback doesn't line up right, and we'd wind up doing all sorts of front-end damage to it if we tried to push the 'teener.

Lots of smart folks on this board...any ideas on how to turn a teener 90 degrees with the minimum of fuss and damage?

Thanks!

[Mike Pearson]

Is the dirt loose, muddy, gravelly or packed in hard?

Kinda of hard to advise unless we see what ya got. I say get all the stuff out of the trunk (spare tire, gas, everything, even unbolt the bumper from inside the wheel wells), put something under it (plywood and a floor jack) and roll it around.
You'll need to free up one of the rear tires as it will have to pivot on one and roll on the other.

Be careful

Paul

It's just....dirt. Sort of hard-packed, with some grass and weeds. The rears are free enough to roll out and pivot on (we dug around them yesterday).

I talked with a friend last night, and we decided the best way to go would be to lay some plywood, get the front end up on the floor jack, and then use a come-along attached to the big fir tree to pull it around, slowly. That'll keep people and body parts pretty much away from it as it's up and moving, and let us keep a good eye on what's happening as we go.

Man, after seeing the people and cars at the swap meet yesterday, I *really* want to get this back on the road! It'll be a full-winter project, though, since we were noticing how much sag we have on the passenger side, so I'm assuming that I'll also be replacing the longitudinals. I'll know how much structural stuff I need to do after I get things apart.