Sam Buchanan

To accommodate the pointed end of the puller, select a bolt that has a diameter slightly smaller than the bore in the center of the steering column. Drill a "dimple" into the center of the head of the bolt and drop the bolt into the column. Now you have a stable base for the puller and you can really crank down on the puller without it trying to walk away from the center of the column. The key is to keep the puller straight so all the pressure generated by the puller can be applied to the steering wheel. If the puller begins to lean to one side you are losing the mechanical advantage of the puller.

I'm with you, Nick, that bare head with the new bolts looks like a rare piece of expensive antique jewelry. Gorgeous! But it's a moot point now, you will have a beautiful engine that meets the approval of the artistic non-sophisticates in the group. 😁

I've been running Valvoline VR1 Racing oil in the VW Beetle for many years. It is a high-zinc lubricant (I use straight 30W). I hadn't thought about using it in the P15 but will take it under consideration. Nick....sorry about the thread creep! 😉 https://www.valvoline.com/our-products/motor-oil/vr1-racing-oil https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-10W-30-VR1-Racing-Motor/dp/B00DJ4FMK2

A photo of how you have the puller set up on the steering column would be helpful....can't tell much from the photo you provided.

That engine should last forever! I really like the clear-coat idea. Enjoy!

Do not try to yank the wheel off by pulling on the steering wheel rim! You will be sad when you destroy the wheel...... Yes, you need a puller. Read the threads about pulling the steering wheel to get the big picture of the process. If you are fortunate the wheel will pop off the shaft once you start persuading it with the puller. I used a generic puller like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lisle-45500-Harmonic-Balancer-Puller/352774075278?epid=9028573416&hash=item5222f9338e:g:avAAAOSwxMNdazxy Instead of putting the pointy end of the puller into the steering shaft, drop a bolt into the shaft so the puller can push against the bolt head instead of damaging the threaded end of the shaft.

"Son, are you sure you can get this back together?" 😁 Might as well go with a total rebuild.....eat the elephant one bite at a time......everything will be OK....and enjoy your new transmission!

Isn't the purpose of the pilot bearing in the flywheel to accommodate the play in the shaft? I would need to to see a service spec for lateral runout before pulling the tranny apart. Is the transmission noisy?

I ran the 12v version of the Carter pump for several years in my kit car with flawless results in all sorts of traffic, a lot of it in-town. The only downside is the pump is a little noisy if bolted directly to the frame. I made a flexible mount for the pump out of radiator hose and it is now practically inaudible. I have soft hoses on each side of the pump to eliminate vibes being transferred into the hard line.

Man.....I can hardly stand to look at that syringe.....reminds of getting fillings when I was a kid....bad memories..... 😲

Well Jeff.....great minds think alike..... 😁 Here is the full-time Carter electric pump on my P15, there is a block-off plate where the mechanical pump used to be. The Carter has been flawless and I haven't found the need for a regulator. Turn on the ignition and the carb bowl is full before I have time to punch the starter button.

An electric boost pump really is the solution for smooth starting when the vehicle has been sitting for some time. The cost of the pump is probably less than the wear and tear on the starter and battery caused by pulling fuel into the carb with the mechanical pump.......

Looks good, should work nicely. You can try a fit-up with the plate and gasket, maybe the manifold holes will slide over the studs ok. Mine didn't so I had to eliminate the gasket and instead use a liberal coat of red RTV on the exhaust manifold. Once the two manifolds are cinched up you should have a tight fit.

Install it as-is........you can make the painting decision after you live with the running car for awhile.....save the decal until after the final choice. Nice early Christmas.

Got the call back today from the engineer at TinyTach who filled me in on details concerning using their device on our cars. As I've stated before the polarity of the electrical system is no factor. However, the new info I received is about issues with using the device on engines with points and coil. The tach is more reliable with engines with electronic ignitions because the mechanical points, especially if not in prime condition, create a 'dirty' impulse as they open and close and the tach has more problems decoding the signal than if it was generated with a hard-edged, discrete electronic pulse. In years past TinyTach has delivered their older model for use with points/coil to the early Ford and tractor community with four-cylinder engines but that device can't be programmed for six-cylinder engines with three firing impulses per revolution. This is a problem because the tach works best on the coil wire when it is used with a points system. Bottom line-------if someone wants to pursue this tach with one of our cars TinyTach is willing to work with the customer to fine-tune a tach and their current tach may work fine if the ignition system is in excellent condition. But the polarity of the electrical system has no impact since the only connection to the car is via the sensing wire wrapped around an ignition lead. Now......we know more about TinyTach than anyone wanted to know.