Can a 78 firewall be removed with the engine in place??

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Mr Blotto
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Can a 78 firewall be removed with the engine in place??

Post by Mr Blotto » Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:50 am

I just want to make sure before I try.

Thanks!
1978 Sage Green Westy - 2.0 FI - SOLD WITH 109887 miles :-(

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poptop tom
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Re: Can a 78 firewall be removed with the engine in place??

Post by poptop tom » Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:00 am

Mr Blotto wrote:I just want to make sure before I try.

Thanks!
99.9% sure that yes, it can be removed with the engine in place.
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Post by poptop tom » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:29 am

Also Paul, there are two (pretty sure its two) screws that come up through the underneath side (above the tranny) that attach the firwall.

So when you get all the visible ones out from the engine compartment, and it does not come out for you, that is the reason!
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Post by Mr Blotto » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:33 am

poptop tom wrote:Also Paul, there are two (pretty sure its two) screws that come up through the underneath side (above the tranny) that attach the firwall.

So when you get all the visible ones out from the engine compartment, and it does not come out for you, that is the reason!
Believe it or not, I actually knew that.

IFBwax kindly gave me detailed locations of those two screws underneath.

Thanks!
1978 Sage Green Westy - 2.0 FI - SOLD WITH 109887 miles :-(

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jtauxe
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Post by jtauxe » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:57 am

Where are these hidden screws?
I need to remove the firewall this weekend in order to check/replace the gas vapor hose connections.
John
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Mr Blotto
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Post by Mr Blotto » Mon Jul 02, 2007 10:23 am

jtauxe wrote:Where are these hidden screws?
I need to remove the firewall this weekend in order to check/replace the gas vapor hose connections.
They are the ones in the gray arrows (photo from Ratwell's FAQ site):

http://www.ratwell.com/technical/FAQ/im ... Screws.jpg
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Post by germansupplyscott » Wed Jul 04, 2007 6:52 am

you should drop the engine slightly to remove the gas tank cover. if you don't you have to bend the cover to get it out. if you remove the two upper carrier screws and the 4 on the rear bar you can lower the engine a few inches to clear the cover.
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Re: Can a 78 firewall be removed with the engine in place??

Post by Greenbus » Sat Nov 28, 2020 12:50 am

Just to revive an old post in case someone is still browsing it -

YES ! You most certainly can. I've just done it and it took about 20 minutes. (But I dont have FI - its been taken out and twill carbs put in.)
So if you have carbs -
Electric fan off
Accelerator linkage off.
Air filters off along with mounting rods and cover carbs with plastic bags or something to stop screws falling into them.
Then the screws that you can access from the engine bay.
Then the two that you must access from under the car - at each end of the firewall.
Then out it comes over the top if the carbs.

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Re: Can a 78 firewall be removed with the engine in place??

Post by sgkent » Sat Nov 28, 2020 2:46 pm

yes. I prefer to do it when the engine is out, and plan ahead, but Colin and I pulled the tank on his late bay for cleaning when he was here a few years ago with the engine still in. The firewall is the easier part of it. Don't forget to remove the screws on the bottom under the bus.
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Re: Can a 78 firewall be removed with the engine in place??

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:35 am

For the record! If you have to pull and twist, you must stop. There are three retainer tabs along the top that the firewall must slip out from under whilst you pull out the bottom of the firewall. Dropping the engine three inches may seem like a bother, but you want everything to line up and fall into place during reassembly. Do the styrofoam strips! They help keep the dust out! Less dust, cleaner engine! A good-fitting firewall also reduces catastrophic vehicle fires if your fuel tank sender/inlet hose/evap line hose should fail.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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