manifold madness...

so, in my few spare minutes here and there, i've been working on cleaning out the preheater tubes on the intake manifold...  got a good technique off the samba using a drill and a snake... i also used a cut up clutch cable... i got it pretty clean i think...

cleaned, primed, painted and ready for install...

had some free time yesterday, so i figured i should get started on the install...  i forgot tom (you know, bigger, stronger older brother tom) couldn't get the generator nut off when we dropped the engine... i couldn't budge it either... but there was a broom hanging in the garage with a metal stick, to i took the end off and made a cheater bar... 

and liberal use of WD-40....

and it actually worked!!

lifted the fan shroud up and started to pull out the generator and fan, but it was still hitting the manifold and carb...

so, the carb had to go, and i had to detach the throttle ring behind the shroud to get it high enough to get the generator and fan out...

and it worked... you can see the throttle ring behind where the fan was...

got a little nervous with all the parts and fasteners laying about...

wiggled the manifold out of there... had to move the starter...

here's what i found at the back of the manifold...  the hole is in the preheater tube, but i guarantee it is rusted through between the preheater and the intake... you can see my attempt at JB welding it, but i couldn't see back there so i didn't know there was a hole...

the worst part about this whole experience is that it appears as though my big brother was right... again... an air leak in the intake somewhere, probably sucking air from being rusted through to the preheater tube...

i suppose i should start listening to what he says....  at least when it comes to volkswagens....