55.2-59 Ol' Blue

[8man]

After days of tinkering with the rear axle pinion angle, I got some wedge shims from O'Reilly's and the pinion is now set and torqued to about 2.6 degrees. I rechecked the engine and it was set as low as I could go and keep the oil pan above the crossmember. That meant I had to lower the transmission. So, I moved the transmission crossmember to below the frame, drilled the appropriate holes in the frame, mounted the crossmember. This put the rear of the trans at about 4 degrees down. I then shimmed the crossmember to bring the rear of the trans up to about 2.6 degrees and got back on the motor mounts.

Did I mention this is my first time welding in motor mounts? I got the POL mounts and started cutting them down a little at a time. After a couple of days of agonizing over the cuts and then the grinding down to make them fit, I was finally happy with the fit. Here is the rider's side tacked in place. The bolt goes in and out easily with the engine setting down as far as it can go.

That brought me to the transmission cover panel. The 4L60E sits a little tall in the cab. I looked at the 4-speed cover and didn't care for the size of the hump. So, I got a lesson from a friend who used a sheet steel roller to create the curve. I started cutting out the tunnel and welded in the new curved panel. I like the way it sits, and it doesn't cause too much of a curve in the floor. Should be pretty good covered in carpet.