So my journey continues - does anyone have answers to the following:
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That seems high to me - I'd think $200 would be fair. It shouldn't take 5 hrs.
Few alternatives here -
1) If other things need to be addressed on engine - like clutch or painting engine tin or engine compartment. Pull engine. Need floor jack or trans jack. Takes maybe 1.5 hr (dual carbs and exhaust complicate) to remove and same to put back.
2) If you can remove fan and 36 mm nut in back of shroud, this is easiest. You can remove fan belt and alternator strap - and the alt stand and remove with engine in. Carb linkage is probably in way - and maybe single carb (if so equipt). 2 hrs?
3) alt can be removed with the shroud but tight working space. There is a hidden thermostat rod on most underneath to the flaps. Often the alt stand has to be removed too - the studs are often in way - some replace with bolts for next time. 3 hrs?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKqlZjBEk1M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGm7TL794UA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ewXkdPgsa4
Depends upon "skill" a regular mechanic vs. an aircooled knowledgeable mechanic are two different things. I've done pulled the shroud, fan and alt a good number of time , I would say 2.5 to 3.0 hours for someone that is familiar with doing it.
I agree with Alan, it shouldn't be more than 3 hours.
It takes a while because the fan plate and fan might not be pulled back far enough to clear the pedastle to get it out, so you have to remove the fan shroud and THAT can become a big deal. Maybe that’s where he’s getting the five hours. He expects to pull the engine if he can’t get the fan/alternator out with the engine installed. Just a thought.
I find that a small job say 2-3 hours often turns into a 5 hour job at times if you add anything or find anything... 
I had to recently do a fuel pump where we found shrapnel in the filter and the pump... then ultimately we found it in the tank so we had to empty the gas tank to find the cause, by pumping it out then we removed the filler neck mechanism and cleaned the tank by hand... all of a sudden the hours should I say the day is gone
@Verbieten FWIW here is the punch list I use when I R&R the alternator on my VS 1915cc. R&R time for first time will be maybe 2 hrs to remove but it's an easy process.
Click on pic to enlarge.
* Disconnect battery and remove wiring from alternator "Fig E"
* Loosen & remove 19mm nut on pulley. Remove front half of pulley. Remove fan belt. Remove back half of pulley (and a number of spacers/large washers) making sure to remove half-moon shaped woodruff key from alternator shaft "Fig D"
* Loosen and remove alternator strap "Fig C"
* Loosen throttle cable barrel clamp and pull throttle cable from behind fan shroud "Fig B" (this will facilitate lifting fan shroud).
* Loosen & remove bolt/screw holding throttle-cable body to fan shroud and lower attachment to motor case. "Fig B" (if attached with a bolt, use a 10mm wrench, bottom attachment point may require 13mm wrench)
* Loosen and remove remaining 3 bolts/screws of alternator/fan backing plate "Fig F" (if these also are bolts, use 10mm wrench)
* Remove (pop off) throttle linkage on 'Right' carbureter and let it lay on engine tin "Fig H"
* Loosen hose clamps on both sides of fan shroud and pull ducting away from fan shroud "Fig A"
* Remove bolts/screws on bottom of both sides of fan shroud (these attach fan shroud to upper engine tins) "Fig G" If these are bolts, use 10mm wrench or socket)
* With all these attachments removed, you should be able to lift fan shroud just enough (3 to 4 inches) to tilt the upper portion of alternator/fan assembly towards you and lift out of fan shroud opening. Might take a little wiggling of alternator/fan assembly to work out of the shroud opening.
* Take alternator/fan assembly to automotive shop to have them use impact tool/socket to remove bolt holding fan to alternator. Once fan is removed, remove screws/bolts attaching backing plate to alternator.
* With replacement alternator, simply reverse process, beginning with re-installing backing plate onto alternator, having automotive shop use impact tool/socket to attach fan to alternator with bolt.
* Reverse process to install your new alternator/fan assembly.
Hope this gives you an idea of what's involved. It's not hard to do. Best of luck! 
The only things I can add is remove the deck lid this will avoid nicks, swelling and possible bruising on your forehead...plus you can work easier. Don't loose the half moon shaped alternator shaft keys and add a bit of blue Loc Tite to the 36mm fan bolt.
And take a picture of the hinges on the lid before you remove anything. Otherwise you may end up scratching your head for a couple days when trying to put it back on(Max!).
IF you can get the 36mm fan nut off the back inside the shroud - the shroud does not have to be removed --- making the job easier. That big nut can be hard to remove though and their isn't much room to work.
i always trace the hinges with pencil so it fits exactly back
Just remove the single pivot bolt on each hinge........
Well did you do the deed?
OK so to all those that provided input, guidance and support - THANK YOU! It was invaluable. So the outcome:
Glad to be of help.
Sweet. This money saved in this thread just paid for your membership! I love this place.
@WOLFGANG I know this is an old thread, but I'd like to clarify, if you remove the 36mm fan nut while the alternator is still installed, can the fan stay inside the shroud while pulling the alternator from the engine? Then put the alternator back in with the fan still in the shroud and just tighten the nut? Are there shims behind the fan that you'd need to pay attention to, or anything else?
The fan is a press fit on the alternator shaft. So yeah, if you have a gear/bearing puller.
Is the nut really 36mm? AFAIK, the flywheel gland nut and rear axle nuts are the only 36mm on the car.
Being that I've never owned one with a regular fan would be why I wasn't sure of the size. My Spyder has a 911 fan, alternator, and ring.
But yes, I was talking about the fan hub press-fit on the alternator/generator shaft. In this case, DO NOT use a hammer to get it apart. You will only succeed in destroying it and then having to spend more money.
For anyone else who might want to try, I replaced my alternator without removing the fan shroud. I removed the 36mm nut and separated the fan from the alternator so I could pull the alternator out, then the fan could come out also for inspection. This was much easier than taking the shroud and one of the carbs off. My fan separated fairly easy from the alternator.
I'm glad yours separated easily. They don't always.
Maybe I'm missing something, but I pulled my alternator out, along with the fan, several times. The alternator was fine - I just needed access to something. Pulling the alternator/fan assembly out was relatively easy. Like I said, maybe I'm missing something here.
It depends on whether your alternator stand is held in with studs, which prevent the stand/alternator/fan from being lifted high enough to clear the studs and allow the fan to clear the shroud opening.
Or held in with bolts which, when removed, allow the fan/alt/stand to be simply slid right out towards the rear of the car.
I replaced the studs with bolts years ago just for that reason, because the studs prevented the fan from clearing the shroud to remove it.
Or maybe you just had a fan shroud with clearance in the right places.
Those Special Edition guys are tricky like that.
"Or maybe you just had a fan shroud with clearance in the right places.
Those Special Edition guys are tricky like that."
Could be. I don't recall having to remove the stand. I vaguely recall having to loosen the shroud bolts so I could angle it ever so slightly.
As far as removing the fan from the alternator shaft, I have never done that with the two assembled in the car and it would not have occurred to me to even try that, but son-of-a-gun, @silverghost managed to pull it off - WELL DONE!
Now we know that it can be done for most of us. Not me, though, because I have an anti-mouse-trespasser screen over the fan opening after a bunch of them got in there and built a mousey Triple-Decker on top of the cylinders. They didn't make much noise, but they certainly knew how to party..... 😠
If building an engine for a Speedster (or Beetle for that matter) the smart thing to do would be to pull the rear (rear of the car) alternator/generator stand studs out of the engine case, install steel thread inserts (now you can use bolts) and notch the front stand bolt holes so the whole assembly could be slid in place without having to remove the fan shroud. Now replacing a fan (with a wallowed out center) or alternator becomes a much (and I do mean MUCH!) easier task.
Just thinking out loud here...
I put timecerts on all 4. If you do 2, you’ve already got the tool out….
@Lane Anderson posted:Maybe I'm missing something, but I pulled my alternator out, along with the fan, several times. The alternator was fine - I just needed access to something. Pulling the alternator/fan assembly out was relatively easy. Like I said, maybe I'm missing something here.
Same here. Don’t you just have to unplug it, undo the alt/tower strap, undo the four backing plate screw, and lift it out? Perhaps removal of the gen stand/oil filler is required, but that seems a lot less work than removing the shroud.
@dlearl476 posted:Same here. Don’t you just have to unplug it, undo the alt/tower strap, undo the four backing plate screw, and lift it out? Perhaps removal of the gen stand/oil filler is required, but that seems a lot less work than removing the shroud.
The backing plate to alternator stand clearance is slightly less than 1”. The fan itself is over 2” wide. How is that going to work? 
There is a reason that guys are slotting the alternator stand and/or using bolts.
That's why I loosened the shroud, but didn't remove it. A slight tilt and all was well.
@Lane Anderson posted:That's why I loosened the shroud, but didn't remove it. A slight tilt and all was well.
Did you have an oil cooler in the shroud? Did you have a thermostat? Did you have a narrow early fan or a late wide fan? Did you have a Hoover bit installed? These all come into play.
I don’t have a Hoover installed.
Will a Dyson be OK? 😉
Oil cooler - yes. Thermostat - no. Wide fan. Not sure what a Hoover bit is.
@Lane Anderson posted:Oil cooler - yes. Thermostat - no. Wide fan. Not sure what a Hoover bit is.
The Hoover bit is the piece in the doghouse system that seals the oiler cooler to the doghouse. Without it, the air easily escapes around the cooler instead of through it. This part was routinely tossed in the garbage over the years by people that didn’t know its purpose. The Hoover bit attaches to the oil cooler. The fan shroud than bolts to the Hoover bit. I’m guessing you likely had neither the Hoover bit or the bolt that holds the shroud to said piece.
Hoover bit:
Funny the only Hoover I know is the procedure to drill out the heads on a Type I for aircraft use, and now for some VW. ...
For you who don't know about the Sermon's of Bob Hoover.
Definitely didn't have the hoover bit or bolt.
But Bob could write, that's for sure.
@LI-Rick posted:For you who don't know about the Sermon's of Bob Hoover.
Well I had a chuckle at the antics for theft prevention 
