[mal68ibu]

Progress dipped a little the last couple weeks. I ended up spending more time looking for info and small stuff, than working on the big stuff. I got all excited when I found a 97 6.5 turbo in a local salvage yard (I needed a dipstick, and oil cooler line fittings), just to find out AT FIRST that the dip stick and tub were not the same, and the oil cooler fittings were 1/2 inch. So ended up being alot of work for nothing. However if you need I have practically brand new oil cooler lines for a 97 and later 6.5 that I cant use. Still have GM tags on them. Anyways that made me look really hard for parts. I ended up with dorman lines (just got the first one today, and the other to follow), got the fittings at napa, and ordered....and didnt use the dip stick from the dealer. The factory dip stick interferes with my intercooler piping. I took measurements and the 97 stick and tube works great. We deceided to mount the engine and trans oil coolers inbetween the frame rails at an angle to the ground so when the bumper splits the air it rolls up into the coolers. I picked up another NOS oil cooler this weekend to use for the trans, so fabbing up mounting brackets will be simple. The diesel fuel filter has been mounted to the block off plate on the firewall, and all the diesel fuel feed line and pump has been plumbed. I played around with some unused gates hoses I had and made some custom coolant hoses/pipes. The short term goal is to run juice to the glow plug relay and starter, add fluids and fire it up this week. I've claimed be prepared to fit it at least once a month for the last few months but this time I think it may be for real. The tank has been mounted. We dropped some barrel nuts that were turned down to leave a lip, into the bulkhead rail and welded them in for the rear mounts and throughbolted the front mounts into the bed floor. Drilled holes on each side of the tank for diesel out on one side, and WVO, out, return, coolant in, and coolant return (to heat the grease). Heres some new pics.