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The next day, still with the trailor, my mechanic friend at Melville Service
Centre, aided us in sourcing a VG30DE engine, for trade prices, rather than
cost. Normally such an engine would cost $850.00 (missing some parts),
instead, it cost us $750.00 thanks to Paul at MSC from Panorama Auto Spares. The
engine was from a 1994 300ZX, and had done 84,000km, a good 20 or so less,
than the engine in the dead 300. We used the strops again and towed it out
to Te Awamutu, leaving it in Glen’s garage. Note to anyone doing this,
hire an engine hoist, it is so much easier and less fuss, for the sake of
$40 for an entire 24 hour day, it is well worth saving your back. We removed
what we could whilst there, bonnet, radiator etc etc, and then went home,
awaiting Glen’s call to say he was ready to embark on the mission of 2005.
He called and said he wanted to start the car on Monday, and have it done in
two days. We went over early around 930am, and began to remove the exhaust,
driveshaft, and automatic transmission and gear-box. Removing hoses from the
rear of the engine revealed a very likely source of our problem, rusted
leaking hoses and pipes supposedly fixed whilst it was known as ZXWING.
Unbolting the air-conditioning pump, remembering not to disconnect it -
$20,000 fine, and deadly gasses weren’t needed at this point, starter motor,
and finally unbolting the engine ready for removal and dumping. We pushed
the car out of the garage, using the hoist, removed the dead engine, and
dumped it on the ground.
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