I have been working on getting the timing cover off the siezed motor of the TN. Finally got the crankshaft pulley bolt to crack using an impact socket, a breaker bar, a big bit of hardwood and a trolley jack. But of course I don't quite have enough clearance to remove it.

The Gregorys and the FAQ here pretty much say to undo the front and rear mounts. What's the best way to go about that?

Incidentally I discovered the front mount rubber is 100% stuffed. Added that to the list of fixmes.

Sorry about asking such a silly question, but this is our first Magna and things are a bit different to what I am used to on other vehicles.

support the motor and gearbox with a jack
undo the gearbox and engine mounts

undo the through bolts front and rear mounts
then the rest

Rear engine mount removal
The 3 bolts on the chassis bracket of the mount
2 long extensions (+ a short or a universal) rachet and the socket undo the nuts from the top of the engine
gently lever the powersteering pipes out of the way so the socket sits on the bolt heads square --the driverside nut is easier to get at

remove the rear mounts mounts through bolt

undo driverside tyre undo gearbox mount 4 x14mm nuts through chassis holes
dont drop the bolts into the chassis
this gives you more lift on the engine

jack up the motor so it clears so there is eneough room to remove the rear mount support brackets bolted to the engine block 2 bolts
should be good to come out then

side mount drivers side
undo tyre look for 4 plugs hiding 4x 14 mm bolts
support engine on jack and undo the 4 bolts then the gearbox though bolt



front mount all 14 mm nut/bolt combinations undo these to release the mount

Thanks for that. I got it more or less. I got the rear mount through bolt by pulling off the air filter -> TB hose, sticking my arm down that way on the drivers side, putting a ring spanner on the far (nut) side so the other end was resting on the firewall, and attacking the bolt end with a rattle gun with a U joint on it.
I couldn't quite get access through the passenger side. Well, i could, but my arm got stuck.

Still something I've missed for removing the timing cover though. It looks like the PS pump has one of its bolts sunk into the block, is this the case?

I got just about all the timing cover bolts undone in a few seconds using an air ratchet. Finally had a use for it.

there are two bolts for the powersteering pump
a small bolt you get to ...through the pully itself
and its main support bolt has a stepped shaft

the bracket it self has 3 bolts one 14 mm and 2 x12mm

To get the timing cover off, remove the Aircon and bracket, remove the top mount and bracket, remove 2 bolts in the head to the timing cover, remove the power steer pump and the bracket. Sump off (although can be done sump on) and you are good to go.

Personally, I would hire an engine hoist for a few hours and pop out the engine, far easier and a lot less skin lost

To get the timing cover off, remove the Aircon and bracket, remove the top mount and bracket, remove 2 bolts in the head to the timing cover, remove the power steer pump and the bracket. Sump off (although can be done sump on) and you are good to go.

Personally, I would hire an engine hoist for a few hours and pop out the engine, far easier and a lot less skin lost

That's what I haven't done. The aircon and the PS pump. Everything else is well and truly undone.
No skinned knuckles so far. Well, okay maybe one trying to undo the well and truly seized exhaust pipe flange. The air tools make everything so easy it nearly feels like a dream.

What sort of places rent a hoist? I also have to ask "Then what?". Get an engine stand beforehand to mount it on? I know I'd love one, but there don't seem to be any affordable ones around right now.

I dreamt of timing and balance chains last night. Must really be getting to me. Well, it is to be honest. I can't figure out how it could be seized so solid without having a sump full of metal.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but what I thought to be chunks of metal in the sump were chunks of plastic. Although mangled and chewed, I would guess that they came from a plastic ring maybe 7cm in diameter with a thickness of maybe 5mm. I guess it could be part of the inside of the timing cover crank seal, given that the balance chain would have been thrashing around like a... uh... worn out balance chain in an Astron.

My motor seized from lack of oil, little bits of plastic/rubber had blocked the sump pick up and as a result the cam shaft had seized. A new head and cam shaft later and all was good, I also cleaned out the pickup/sump.

I wish that were the case here. But there was nowhere near enough contaminants to block the pickup, and the cam was still oily on the lobes.

Once I pull the rest of it to bits the reason will be clear. Correct me if I'm wrong but the best way to diagnose this seems to be check and remove bits until something moves because of the lack of evidence of physical damage besides three stray flakes of metal on the side of the crankcase near #4 conrod.