An update, actual Scirocco content

[roccit_53 at scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca (C Boyko)]

Well, I've spent the last few days with one Miss Carrots, (Drew's Turbo
Diesel Scirocco). Anyway, last time Carrots and I had a heart to heart, she
told me she wanted some bolt on goodies, as she'd been requesting them for
some time. So this trip was about "the extensive intermediate shaft seal
replacement", the type that requires a bigger clutch. :)

As it turns out, the bigger clutch was located in his Bunny truck, up in
the barn. (Now there's an image that will send many off into fantasy land,
sunlight streaming through the spaces in the boards, onto a dusty
treasure....stop it right now, I'm telling a story...) Anyhow, this truck
was wedged in so tight amongst various farm implements, "vintage
electronics" and other A1s that jacking it up actually lifted the Jetta
next to it. Many tool trips later, the clutch was out. It's nice to have
two engine slings, so the truck's engine is still hanging, not for long I
expect. As usual Drew's extensive use of the "french language", my
expertise as "crank wench" and a few cold beverages assisited in the
extraction. Back off to Carrots in the shed....things went along really
well (what's wrong with THAT??), it still floors me how much cross species
hybridization the good folks at VW thought to design for, you can take A1
bits and bolt them onto A3 bits, and they seem to fit pretty well most
times, with a few exceptions. And if you see Carrots, make sure you grab a
mirror and look at the gorgeous new oil line to the turbo, it's the
prettiest bit of jewellry she wears, and you can hardly see it unless
you're underneath her, as it runs on the firewall side of the block.
Hopefully I'll have a nice 8X10 glossy B&W photo of it from below. Okay,
enough rambling, she's not back on the ground yet, but her axles are back
in, and the new "intermediate shaft assembly" is in place, so that's
progress. As usual, the hospitality was fantastic, and it was a good
"weekend before the weekend". In case you wondered if we work up here in
Canada, it was a holiday, "National Diesel Day", followed by "National
Scirocco Day". Yep, we live in the best country eh?
On a side note, my daily diesel decided to try out being a four speed on
the trip up, I gave it a firm talking to with my hands on the cable ends,
and it seems to be working, but that will need looking at (I'll have the
engione cover off later today anyway). I figured the plastic end had
cracked again, but it seems intact. Who knows.
So now I'm off to look at Mazdas with the spouse, and back to my own cars
for the remainder of the weekend hopefully. 
That's about it for now, yeah, it was significant progress, Carrots needs
to go to Cincy eh?
Cathy