It was another long day and a great conclusion to the weekend to be able to see the Zetec mounted in the van!
There was a lot of incidental work like figuring out how to take apart (put back together) CV axles, mounting brackets in the engine bay, transferring equipment to the new transmission, and finally mating the transmission to the engine. Fortunately, Joe came over and helped me, and since he has already been through the process, it was much, much easier. Finally at about 7pm , we got the engine and transmission up and bolted into the van without support from the engine hoist. There is still a lot to do before turning the ignition key, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Check out another video diary from today's efforts.
It was a long day, but when all was said and done, my VW camper van was without an engine and I was happy about that!
I had to remove the old WBX engine in order make room for the new Zetec (not at all unlike John Locke having to die to save the "Island" on Lost), and today was the day to get the work done. Thanks to the wonder of craigslist, I found another VW fanatic named Todd who helped me remove the engine. It was a huge help to have him there, since he had previously removed several engines from Vanagons; not to mention that two sets of hands really makes a difference when doing that kind of work.
It was a full-day affair, and since many people have wondered exactly how long it takes to remove an engine and install a Zetec as part of the Bostig conversion, I decided to make a video diary for the day. I'm hoping to make one for the installation process also, but 'till then, check out what I did today...
I am moving forward quickly with preparations on my Zetec engine prior to the transplant into the Vanagon. I have completed the SK-A (adapter) and SK-C (cooling) steps of the conversion process which means that I am a few steps away from being ready to pull the old engine out and put the new one in. On Monday, I should receive the SK-E (exhaust) and SK-M (mounting) kits and the GoWesty rebuilt transmission. These parts should provide everything I need to complete dressing the engine prior to my goal of transplanting on the weekend of February 20. It's going really smoothly so far, so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed!
Last night, I made a training video for work that spoofed the training films from the t.v. show Lost. If you have seen the orientation video for the Swan station, you might find this funny. It really helps to also know that what we are doing with our tests at work is very similar to what they are telling people to do in the Swan film. For the back-story on the Swan training video, check out Lostpedia!
It's hard to believe that the first month of 2009 has come and gone! I didn't manage to write during January, since I was busy working on my resolutions and goals for the new year.
Piano The only resolution I have made any measurable progress towards is learning to play the piano. I have been taking lessons for 4 weeks now and practicing on my Yamaha YPG-625 digital piano. I have to say that this is one of the most challenging/difficult endeavors I have ever embarked on. There are two feelings that I usually experience while learning and practicing the piano. When I am learning a new concept, my brain hurts beyond normal description and the only way I can attempt to relate the feeling is to say that it feels like I've stuffed a grand piano into my head (like in the cartoons)! And when I practice playing a song from beginning to end, I find myself holding my breath and concentrating with such devotion that you'd think I was trying to levitate. Sounds like fun, huh? Actually, I know that with time I will progress and it will begin to feel more natural. Till then...
Robotics Without a doubt, my biggest time sink during January has been mentoring the Fairview High School robotics club as we build a robot in 6 weeks to compete in the FIRST robotics competition. I have found myself spending 20 hours a week after work and on weekends working on this project. In some ways we are making tremendous progress and in others, we are spinning our wheels. Although spinning our wheels literally won't be one of them, since we have implemented traction control in our software system! I have to say that volunteering has also been a major challenge for me that has resulted in more than a headache or two. However, I really believe that when this is all finished, the students, the other mentors, and I will come away having learned about ourselves and working as a team at least as much as we learned about building a robot.
Engine Transplant Finally, I have just begun to work in earnest on the Zetec engine conversion for my Westfalia van. Yes, this is usually a full time project without spending 20 hours a week building robots, having a grand piano stuck in your head while levitating, and playing men's basketball (7 points last week, yeah baby!), but I am really excited about this project and hope to complete it by March. It is an ambitious goal, but I'm off to a great start! I received the donor engine for the transplant a few days ago and performed a Cinderella transformation on it from ugly, dusty, junkyard engine to shiny, 7345 mileage, reliable beauty! In order to keep myself on track, I'm using Google Notebook to track my progress and have shared the notebook with the world. Take a look if you are interested in such things.
It was another long day and a great conclusion to the weekend to be able to see the Zetec mounted in the van! 
