Just the culmination of everything. EVERY day it has been something.. no clutch, no bolts for the clutch, no clutch alignment tool that works...
I get home at 6:30-7pm, eat, and get to work on the car around 8-9, so if anything happens or I discover there is an issue, it's too late to do anything about it until the next day.
I went to 5 places today, NOBODY could get me a clutch alignment tool, not even the only VW repair shop in town! I wound up getting yet another universal kit from Napa, and it doesn't fit as well as my original one, so I used my original one and adjusted the "wobble factor" by hand as I installed the pressure plate.
In attempting to get the transmission installed the differential keeps hitting the frame, the transmission falls of the jack, the transmission rotates around etc, etc, etc. I try lowering the engine to get a better angle on it and nothing will work. At some point I go back to the top to get a different view on things and notice the motor mount has completely slid out on the passenger side and the post is now resting on the frame, the hoses are kinked, the vacuum lines have pulled off the engine - just not a good picture at all.
Basically the engine is about to fall out.
I at this point have no option but to hoist the engine back up, remove the mount and attempt to re-install the engine. I drive across town to the storage building in my mother-in-law's buick and somehow manage to stuff a 2.5 ton engine hoist in her trunk - at least enough for it not to fall out. I'll find out tomorrow how her paint looks. Now I don't have a chain for it, so that goes on tomorrow's list.
Tomorrow's forecast is scattered thunderstorms - on my only day off - the day scheduled to complete the project. (actually scheduled for LAST Thursday, but the clutch didn't arrive until Friday, bolts until Tuesday)
It's just always something, I think this project is cursed.
Kids - put a cherry picker on your list of highly suggested tools to have on site before beginning this project. Doing it with a floor jack and a small jack just isn't a good thing.
Right now I'm just p!ssed at the whole thing, but I guess the effort wouldn't be worth it if you didn't pull out some swear words that would make a sailor proud.