[LooseyLucy71]

It's been a little while since the last update, so here goes:

1. My motor mount kit showed up and I was able to bolt the motor down solid. Of course, the thread count was different on the bolts, so I actually had to unbolt the top half of the mount (from dirty dingo) from the sliders and swap it for the ones with the new kit. The ones I got with the sliders matched the factory threads, but for whatever reason these were different. For those of you who have used DD sliders, you'll also know I had to trim the passenger side mount to clear the block as was already done with the kit from DD. Not a big deal, but not the "run the two bolts in" job I was expecting.

2. I pulled out the entire fuel system. Upon further inspection, my stock tank looks really good inside and doesn't need to be replaced, but I have a fresh one already, so I'm swapping it anyway. if anybody in New England is looking for a good tank with EEC, let me know.

3. I finished up with my prep and painting on the front end of the frame. Not a fun job at all trying to get all that grease off, but one of my big goals here is to get away from the greasy, drippy everything. I also prepped and painted the firewall. I'm not sure how much of the A/C system I'm going to leave in the engine bay yet. We'll see. I plan to get the system running at some point, but of now it's low on the priority list and well out of the budget. The windows go down, enough said there.

4. More engine cleaning! I pulled the intake off and cleaned the valley out, prepped and painted the pulleys on the accessories (alt., ps) and did a little more with the wire wheel. I now have the accessory bracket bolted up and I should be done with external engine cleaning (finally)!

5. I ordered some parts including a flexible 30" transmission dipstick to mount to the firewall, all my fuel system parts (hopefully), O2 sensors, serpentine belt tensioner, and enough Reckhorn 80mil sound deadening to do the floor, back wall, and firewall inside the cab. This is mostly for the Mrs. as I rather enjoy rolling down the highway next to a barrier and wailing on it, but she would prefer at least the option to have it quieter. I'm sure on the longer rides I have planned I'll appreciate it. With the big block, I couldn't get a long ride in without stopping for gas but I think I should have better range now!

The next steps are to start installing the fuel system, trans dipstick, oil pressure line, and of course, wiring. I'm going to see how much wiring I can do with the front clip off as it's much easier to work on everything when you can stand between the engine and the front wheels. I may pull the front bumper and hang inner and outer fenders, but leave the radiator support off for now. Any recommendations on this would be appreciated. Call me crazy, but I'm actually pretty excited about the wiring. Anything but degreasing at this point!

Side note: Found a sweet C60 bucket truck at the junkyard. See pictures below.