OK - car is on jackstands, I removed the fuel return line and ran the car until I had emptied most of the gas into a couple of 5 gal cans.
Removed back seat cushion and access covers, unpluged wiring for the pump and tank senders.
Removed my spec e30 exhaust - need to take pics of my e-bay cat in the mid pipe - it sits just forward of the fuel tank - hopefully far enough away to avoid any big booms…
Removed driveshaft - I’ve never had the entire shaft out of the car before so I had to learn about the front attachment system - you only need to remove the 3 bolts holding the shaft to tranny output - there are 3 more that bolt the flex disk to the shaft and harmonic damper - those can stay on.
Removed old flex disk (why is it also called a Guibo? Is it some strange German custom?) Pounded out the 3 studs that hold on the harmonic damper - and threw said damper in the trash. Ordered new Guibo and 6 new bolts & nuts from the E30 guru on E30Tech.
Removed 3 bolts on the front flange of the tank easily. Can’t get to the two? rear bolts with my impact - must use box end and a cheater bar. By this point it was getting dark and the skies opened - washing me out for the day.
Since my shifter bushings and tranny mounts are now exposed, this job has now turned into the gas tank replacement, short shifter, tranny and engine mount replacement job.
Bimmerworld once again smokes my credit card (well ok - I ordered a Sparco strut brace so I could look as cool as you race car guys…)
Tune in next week for more exciting updates. Supposed to snow tomorrow. Somehow I managed to work on this car during our 105+ summer - and now I get to work in snow. Go Figure.
Jim
The retaining ring can be rotated with 2 flat head screwdrivers.
