I would appear to be back...

[squirrel]

So, in the nine or so months since GTI81 ground to a halt on Kingsway and there followed a long period of umming and ahhing, not much has happened in the squirrely garage, mainly as i've been busy with house renovations and stuff.

But now I am a man of leisure for the next couple of months, I figured re-sealing the fuel tank could be an achievable goal for this side of Christmas. At least it looked that way until I read through the steps in my Haynes manual.

The one that's got me is "jack up the rear of the car and put it on axle stands" shortly followed by "unscrew the left and right axle mounting bolts and drop the axle".

Ummmm... Correct me if i'm wrong but if the back of the car is resting on the axle stands, this is going to go horribly wrong.

So, my request for advice is: Where the hell am I supposed to put the axle stands so that they a) support the back of the car, and b) enable me to perform the above dropping of said axle?

And also c) is this a realistic one-person job or should I wait until a willing and able friend is on hand to assist?

Oh, and hello you lot btw, hope you're all well. What have I missed?

[hiho]

Hi Squirrel,

support the chassis with the axle stands and remove the wheels. Then undo the brake lines, handbrake cables, struts and the beam is ready to be unbolted from the chassis. Its best to have the beam supported with a jack whilst removing the retaining nuts.

[squirrel]

It's trying to find that 'sweet spot' on the chassis that is causing the headache. Last time I jacked the car up and rested it on stands somewhere other than the axle beam, something got slightly bent and i'm a bit reluctant as a result...

But i'm going to have another crack tomorrow morning as it's dentist o'clock for me now

[GRN_VAGN]

there should be two mounts at the rear of car, and i mean just behind the rear panel. try using them

[gldgti]

or the jacing points on the sills infront of the rear wheels where you would normally use a jack.....

axel stands is just a term used for the tool, its not a work instruction. hiho's got all the other parts down pat.

[squirrel]

I've got it resting on the points just inside the sills. Work will resume tomorrow as i've got a bit of a hangover today and the last thing I want is the aroma of petrol... Watch this space for updates and cheers for the input all...