Buried vital engine parts

[tom4bren]

Here's the secret that dealers use for changing the starter, from the Planet-

How to replace the starter on a Trooper, Rodeo, Amigo, VX
The secret.... Remove the 4, 14mm engine mount bolts, 2 on each side just below the exhaust manifold. Easily accessible but putting them back can be a challenge, just be patient. Anyways, once removed jack up the car, actually jack up the engine. With the engine lifted about 1" or so it will give you enough room to remove the starter out the rear of the truck with a little wiggleing to line it up through the opening. I actually slid out the old and slid in the new one under @ 3 minutes total after lifting the engine.

Mark

Good call. I remeber having to do a very similar trick on my ol 79 Dodge P'up. Of course, my woes in that case were self imposed by headers (thankfully I never got around to installing a crossover pipe - that would've been a real nightmare).