Quick update

It's been pretty busy on a number of fronts for the past week. I've made some progress on the checklist of items in reaching the point of putting the body back on the frame.

* Installed water pump, starter, fuel pump, and flex plate
* Checked the header installation with a loose fit to make sure they were the right ones for the car. They are, good.
* I sent the trany off for rebuild. Good thing I did, the shop said the clutch plates had separated from sitting for so long and it was only $400 too.
* Trany and torque convertor bolted back onto the motor and frame

I also decided to get a new intake rather than re-use the old one. I had some Summit discounts from my initial purchase that essentially made the intake free. I purchased the Edelbrock Performer 2101 intake (non-EGR).

I've been wrestling with the body mount replacement issue for the past few weeks. I found a sale at Harbor Freight for a 100A MiG welder for $119. Picked that up Saturday and practiced on Sunday afternoon to get the technique down. My welding won't win any awards for looks but they passed the hammer test: if it stays on with a big whack of a hammer, it's a good weld. I'll post some pics of that later.

So, the coming weekends goals:

* clean the underbody and engine compartment
* fix the underbody fiberglass in a few areas
* paint underbody and engine compartment

If I can get that done, then I should be able to get the body back on the following weekend. Then finish the top end of the motor (lifters, push rods, and rockers, intake) and fire it up. More travel next week but fortunately it's during the week and shouldn't mess with the plan too much.