I didn’t make a lot of progress on the car today, but at least it’s looking like I’ve done something. I removed the starter, the rear crossmember, and the exhaust system. I broke the two bolts that connect the exhaust flange going into the muffler–they were rusted together tightly–but I can find replacements at Wal-Mart. I called Barber Brothers Subaru and ordered the dust boot (technically called the clutch release fork seal), and I was surprised to find that it’ll only cost me $11.84, and they don’t even charge extra to ship it to me. So far, it seems like they’ve really got their shit together, but I can’t say for certain until I get the correct part, and on time. I had problems with Barber Brothers in Spanish Fork several years ago, trying to get them to cover the newly-replaced driveshaft in my Jeep after the u-bolts broke, but after bitching at them for a few minutes, they decided they would cover it under warranty after all.
I decided against trying to make my own engine support tool–instead, I’m just going to ask my father-in-law if I can borrow his engine hoist, if it’s not already in use. That should make quick work of it. =) I’ll also need a transmission jack, if he has one, but I can figure some way to use my floor jack if he doesn’t.
The going has been extremely slow, and at this rate, I’ll be lucky to have it finished before Thanksgiving. I always accomplish less that I thought I could at the end of each day, but once the transmission is out, the rest really should be easy. Putting it all back together should also be simple, since it’s basically the exact same things I’ve already done, just in reverse.