Since the new motor doesn't yet have the intake manifold on it, the engine was not very tall and thus slid under the rear bumper. From there, we raised it with blocks, then slid the floor jack under it, and then raised the engine. The engine and transmission went together pretty easily...we got the halves bolted together in under 10 minutes. The new clutch kit came with a pilot arbor [small end the width of the pilot bushing, the large part has the threads of the clutch disc] In years past, I always used a magic marker wrapped in duct tape to get the correct thicknesses...but the pilot arbor worked much better!
The most challenging part was to return the non-running van to the backyard. We couldn't pull it into the backyard [which is accessed at the east side of our lot], because we want it in front of the truck [so we can still use the truck] And, if we had to push it, trying to get it back up over the curb [there is no curb cut] would be difficult. Kevin had the solution: [1] roll the van backward, turning the wheels to point it parallel to the street, but still on the parking strip and sidewalk. Then, [2-4] using the truck and a tow strap, pull the van as far as possible to the edge of the lot, [5] steer the van to turn it as possible, then [6] push it into the backyard.
It worked pretty well. We couldn't make a complete turn at the east edge of the lot, so we put a piece of plywood down [recent snow had made the ground soft], and then lifted the front of the van with the floor jack, pulling it to make the turn. [two iterations of this made the complete turn]. Kevin pulled from the front [using same strap that the truck pulled the van], Irene steered, and I pushed from the rear....we got it into the yard!
We got done in with plenty of time for Kevin to take a shower and take him to the airport for his flight to Colorado. This project couldn't have been done without him.
