I have a 1990 Intermeccanica with a 2110cc dual carb engine. Mice have built a nest in my engine cooling shroud. Can the shroud be unbolted and raised up a few inches while still in the engine bay?
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I think you could do that. But, the mice probably left stuff between the cylinders and between the shroud vanes too.
To do a thorough cleaning you should probably drop the engine and remove all the engine tin.
I had the same problem years ago. At one point I didn't have plugs in the engine and I found mouse poison pellets on top of the pistons.
Michael, Thanks. I'm slowly coming to that conclusion.
My next wish is to be able to leave as much gear attached to the engine as possible and still get it out.
The generator/alternator with the fan attached will be your biggest impediment! Don't forget the thermostat down rod too (if you have the flappers in the shroud).
I got a good cat I can send you! He's a little frisky though.
I had that exact same problem last year, tried several different methods of removing just the fan shroud and spent several hours trying and still never removed just the shroud.
Finally, I threw in the towel and just pulled the engine. THAT took about an hour to get it out and then getting the shroud off was another 45 minutes. I'm not familiar with IM engine tins and so forth, so maybe an IM owner can tell you what, if any, heat shields or tins must be removed, first (typically, the engine just fits up against the heat shields from below). I can pull my engine (my car is a CMC) leaving the entire exhaust system attached - In fact, I use the exhaust pipes as leverage to maneuver the engine out and back in. Yours may act the same. I have to remove my carburetors because a CMC body frame is too narrow to let them pass, but everything else stays attached, like alternator, fan belt, distributor, etc. Just remove any wires that attach (mark them), any oil hoses if it has an external filter or cooler, and the fuel hose and that's about it.
I've used a regular roll-around floor jack to pull the engine for years. A two-arm motorcycle jack, if you can borrow one from a biker friend, makes the job even easier, as it holds the engine level. It looks like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/...ycle-lift-60536.html
Get under the engine before you pull it out and remove the thermostat bellows. It is attached to an "L" bracket on the passenger side of the engine's sump. It is adjustable, so use a sharpie to mark where the bracket attaches to the engine up/down so you can put it back at the same height (that sets how your thermostatic flappers work). Remove the bellows from the bracket, then remove the bracket. Once the bellows is freed from the bracket, simply unscrew the bellows from the linkage rod and put it safely aside.
The linkage rod goes through a hole at the base of the cylinders so pay attention to which hole it passes through when you're removing the shroud and don't bend the rod. If you get it through the right hole when re-assembling everything, the thermostat will line right up.
I used a shop vac to suck up the mouse condo that was in there (it looked like it housed a family of 6), and then put a piece of 1/4" mesh screen over the fan opening to make sure those little buggers couldn't get in again.
Good luck.
Gordon, thanks for the removal write up.
I have the dual Kadron set-up on my VS and have removed the shroud and replaced the alternator (and fan) a couple of times without too much problem. While the set-up pictured may not exactly match yours, the basic structure still applies.
Click on picture to enlarge
1. Detach Negative ( - ) battery cable. Then detach wiring from alternator (Pic E).
2. Remove the two (2) heater hoses from shroud (Pic A).
3. Detach throttle linkage from carburetor (Pic H)
4. Remove fan belt and alternator pulley (Pic D). Make note of number of washers on inside of pulley halves. Be careful not to lose the woodruff key (half-moon wedge) on alternator shaft.
5. Loosen the alternator strap (Pic C) that secures the alternator to alternator/oil-filler stand. No need to remove strap after loosening, you can simply slide strap away from Alt/oil stand.
6. At bottom of fan shroud on both sides (Pic G), remove 10mm screws (or bolts) that attach shroud to upper engine tins.
7. Remove the four (4) 10mm bolts that attach generator/fan assembly to shroud (Pic F). The upper left 10mm will also allow you to move the center throttle linkage assembly (Pic B) away from shroud. You may need to also remove the 13mm nut that attaches the bottom of throttle linkage assembly to engine case. Also remove the throttle cable from the the cable tube, this is done from behind the shroud. Then remove cable tube from shroud.
8. You should now be able to lift the doghouse a few inches just enough to tilt and work the alternator/fan assembly from the fan shroud (doghouse).
9. When you remove alternator/fan assembly, check fan for trueness (doesn't wobble when you spin it), any cracks (particularly around bolt attaching fan to alternator) or broken welds and replace fan if needed.
Reverse process for re-installing. Before tightening alternator strap, assure that cooling fan does not rub on shroud, make sure that fan belt is properly aligned between the crank pulley and alternator pulley.
Hope this is helpful 
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@MusbJim, great reply.
Msbjim. Thanks for the great details.
Those "Califawnya Guys" are really Smott!
