The Meisterklasse project continues to make slow progress forward. To remove the engine you must first remove the half axles from the drive. I struggled to find useful guidance among all the literature I have on this site. Unfortunately, Auto-Union did not develop a workshop manual for the F89P model so I had to rely on partial instructions related to the prewar F8 model (here - https://dkw-gbclubarchive.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-dkw-car-history-tuning-and.html) and the recently acquired Austrian repair guide (here - https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/12/english-translation-of-austrian-dkw.html).
To remove the drive shaft you must disconnect the top bolts holding the wheel hubs to the transverse leaf spring. There are two sets of bolts, the main ones (in photo) and a smaller set just above them.You will also need to remove (or at least disconnect) the shock absorbers so that the wheel hub can be maneuvered sufficiently to extract the drive shafts.
With the bolts removed, the wheel hub can be swung downward and maneuvered around until the drive shaft is slipped from the drive hub. Unlike the triple cylinder engine models, the drive shaft is not flat and spade-like, so the axles do not need to be any particular alignment to be removed.
The guides suggested that two people could easily remove the engine without needing to remove the bonnet. As I am working alone, I employed an engine hoist. The engine is mounted to chassis by four large bolts - two at the front of the engine, which were easy to get to, and two at the rear, which were very hard to get to. The bolts are right beneath the radiator mount that sits atop the transverse leaf springs.
Obviously one must also disconnect the clutch and freewheel cables and speedometer cable, along with all wiring. This took me much longer than expected as each time I attempted to lift the engine I snagged some cable or wire. Once I was satisfied I had removed all cables, bolts and wires, I attempted to lift the engine. The instructions say to lift the engine up and out from the front, but I discovered that engine snagged on the side of the engine bay. I weighed the option of removing the bonnet but felt the easiest solution would be to remove the side panel. The wings comprise two panels - one inner and one outer. Both were easily removed, which opened up the whole side of the engine. This allowed the engine to be swung up and out with ease.
This view of the engine - finally out of the car - shows the bolt holes for the rear engine mountings. Ahead of that is the drive unit, the gearbox is in the centre and the primary chain on the right.
Several hours with degreaser and a wire brush and the engine begins to look a little more presentable.
On the left is a very rotten front engine mount. There are a lot of parts I naively hoped I would be able to get away with not replacing - but this isn't one of them!
January project update: https://dkwautounionproject.blogspot.com/2020/12/dkw-meisterklasse-project-update.html
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