I will probably drop my engine this weekend, as I am stripping as much as I can to do the bodywork properly. Two very good mechanics who are also friends recommended dropping the entire suspension package as well, so it would come out easier. All thoughts on this are appreciated.

Waste of time......the cv's will clear fine, if you wire them out of the way.

If you have FI, as you lower the eng/tran package keep the fuel rail from fouling on the engine shelf. ECU should be laid on top of the engine as well as the ign harness from the relay board.

Take the rear valence and muffler off.

It is more time involved in dropping the whole thing, of course. But it does make the entire back of the car accessable.

Its up to you.

QUOTE

Two very good mechanics who are also friends recommended dropping the entire suspension package as well, so it would come out easier

I'm glad I don't have freinds like that


to make it easier, remove the rear wheels, and remove the big bolt that holds on the shock to the trailing arms, this way it'll be easier to move the axles around to get them up and over the motor when you pull it out.....

QUOTE (Sammy @ Jun 2 2005, 04:14 PM)

If it were me I would drop the engine and tranny as one piece and then go after the suspension seperately.

did you check out the tech article here on the site?
914 info > tech articles > engine drop

Obviously your friends have never worked on a 914 before. The last thing you want to do is to disturb the rear suspension. The 3 bolts on the outside suspension pickup are usually seized on a Canadian car. To say removing them is a PITA is the understatement of the year. Repairing a broken bolt is a very costly exercise. Dropping the engine/tranny package is a one man affair. Having assistance is great though; someone to get beer, etc. The big pain in the drop is getting the tin over the inner suspension ears. A few sheets of tin are great for this purpose.

The rest of the advice is good also. Bag the inner CV's. It is often easier to remove the top shock nuts than the bottom pins.

If you ever need to remove the rear suspension, then start by removing the plastic caps above the 3 bolts previously mentioned. Squirt penetrating oil in there a month before the procedure. Don't forget to replace the caps. If they are missing, then you are in a heap of hurt. Anytime you feel inclined to remove the suspension, figure on a few weeks before it is mobile again. I've removed a lot of them over the years, and have rarely not broken a bolt.