After my morning pot of coffee I put my game face on and went out to the shop. Looking at AllData again it reinforced that I am an idiot for having missed that second bolt. I wasted hours fighting with that mess.
Bolt out and with a little persuasion I was able to get the coolant feed off the back of the turbo. I moved the oil drain over along with the coolant feed... bad idea. Even with the dog bone disconnected and the engine pulled forward I couldn't get the new turbo to rotate in. Removing the coolant feed resolved that. Connecting the mess of lines I removed (unnecessarily) from the back of the block took as long as putting everything else back. Removing the axle would give better access and visibility, but the extra work wouldn't have been worth it.
Other than those lines, everything went back together easily. The coils came off and went on without any fight which was an unexpected surprise, first mark in the win column. I installed RS7 plugs while it was apart. The stock plugs looked great for being on an OTS tune.
When things were mostly done I fired up VCDS and checked the wategate. I didn't adjust it before hand. When I opened the packaging I noticed all the bolts and wastegate arm had paint on them. It looks like it had been adjusted at the factory.
It tested out fine. That's two in the win column. Google didn't turn up any pics of turbos with paint/preadjusted wastegates.
The last thing I did before buttoning things up was fed the turbo oil and let it run through... fed it more, and then replaced the feed line. I didn't bother pulling the fuel pump fuse (I only do that on new engine builds that haven't had oil through them), fired up and let it idle for 1 hour while I drank a beer and bled the air from the coolant.
On the ground, running, not making any funny noises, and not leaking fluids. Third mark in the win column.
After a shower I took it for a ride to the pet store to pick up some meds for the dog. The clutch still isn't broken in so I didn't get on it. I did notice the power is not coming on at 2500 RPM, and I like it. With that later power I noticed the exhaust doesn't get loud until later (wastegate opening I assume). That is nice for puttering around town.
The pre-filter. I forget who, but someone here posted these, and I owe that person a pint. Excellent find!
I also ordered some mud flaps from flea bay. They are actually nicer than I expected. I mocked them up, and fit was really nice, but I didn't wash the car before putting it in the air, so I will have to wait to install them.
And the mystery I have not solved. The shop lost 2 clips for the rain tray, and 1 screw for the engine splash guard, but left this nut on the rain tray (and a razor blade on the top of the splash guard).
I could not figure out where it was supposed to go. I'm sure if I toss it in the intake it will find it's way home.
Funny thing... when I put it all back together I didn't end up with any pocket parts, unlike the last few "mechanics" that worked on the car.
All in all it wasn't a bad install. I think if/when I have to do it again I will be closer to the AllData quoted time. So after an LSD, bigger brakes, and some fuel upgrades I will be able to swap in a big boy turbo in an afternoon.