So I dropped my engine for the first time last night and it took me about 30min to drop. But there was 3.5 hrs of preparation time before hand. It was so much fun to see the actual motor out of the car.

Anyways, when the motor is going down, I was not able to avoid binding both side of the engine tin against rear suspension console bolts.

How do you guys manage this?

Thanks!

You should get an award for the first engine drop One thing that hangs up my engine drop is the fuel injector lines. I cheap out and don't have the curved formed injector lines. Maybe in dropping the engine, you pulled it back, even a couple of inches, and that's why the tin hits. Look at the profile of the tin and have a helper guide the engine out.

Yup engine need to go straight down.

I take a pair of sheet metal pieces, about 4in x 6 inches and bend one end at a right angle and wedge the metal between the engine tin and the suspension ears. This is wedged before the engine is completely dropped, sort of a using a shoehorn in reverse. Oh yeah, also remove the fuel rails completely. To reinstall, do the reverse, the metal is also wedged before the engine is finally up in position. The sheetmetal, will fall away when the engine undocks and you'll generally need to tape the metal in place when you dock the engine.

Thanks for the trophy! I would be glad to drink sake in it!

Yeah, I removed the fuel injector hoses to the side too. I got the curved injector lines from AA with hope but they are only semi curved unlike the original cloth covered one. So it was useless for this purpose.

I may have pulled the engine too soon but the portions that bound are in the middle which is narrower than front area. Also, when I look at the rear suspension console nut from above, it is noticed that it is sticking out.

Did Karmann make this way only on mine?

Nah, your car is not (likely) to be any narrower than all the others.

I have the same problem, and have to be careful with the tin, and ALWAYS remove the injectors before a drop/install even with the curved lines.

Congrats for your first time, did you call your best friend right after? (usually this leaves the car wondering why you are leaving so soon after...)

I cut an old license plate in half and use that. Works every time.

No need to remove the engine tin ...
Andy

I just lean the engine to one side until it is under the bolt, move the engine to that side a few inches and lower the engine the rest of the way until level. If I forget to do these maneuvers, I always snag the tin.

I just keep lowering till I hear a "pop", then I know the tin is clear of the suspension bolts. You may prefer one of the previous methods however.

I can't remember where I read this tip, but it works great. Before you start dropping the motor, put a jack under each side of the engine bar, and replace the bolt with a piece of threaded rod. Put a couple of nuts on the top to keep them from turning and one nut with a flat washer on the bottom. Then, when you drop the engine, you only need a floor jack under the tranny. You can slowly drop the front of the motor by loosening the bottom nuts. This makes it easy to tilt it on one side or the other to clear stuff. It might take a few minutes longer, but it is definitely a more controlled procedure.

I have more trouble clearing the darned half shafts, but the last pull I had on the 504 I caught the tin too...

Old license plate on each side. Works great!!

since I'm getting ready to have a drop my motor party I have a question
how high do I jack? and do I jack front/back?

Seems like a weak excuse for a party since the drop only takes about a minute with the proper (4 cyl) tool.
Click to view attachment

There aren't enough 914 owners in New England to justify a party without a bigger reason to travel a couple hours.
Gotta have at least a couple hours of entertainment once everyone arrives.

When the engine is safely supported its real easy to go top side and make sure any interference is cleared before continuing downward.
Depending on how high your jackstands go you might have to remove the carbs or airbox as you pull the engine out the back.
Usually the biggest hurdle there is lifting the axles past the intake.
Jack up the rear of the car only.