Another interesting set back of sorts was figuring out what transmission fluid went in the new transmission. It turns out even though the c6 was made originally to run on type F, Since it is rebuilt it now has different materials the internal clutches are made of, so no type F instead Mercon or Synthetic. So I decided to use Mobil 1 synthetic ATF which will extend the life of the tranny according to my transmission guy!

Here are a few more shots of the torque converter shaft and pilot bearing on the back of the crank shaft, also a picture of the new transmission cross bar.

I've spent the last few months dealing with parts. First getting a pair of matching motormounts for the engine.Before it was over I had three passenger side mounts and no drivers aside mounts. This whole process ate up the month of March.Next when I went to attach the motor to the transmission the engine would sieze up when the transmission housing was torque tight. Two weeks later with lots of online help, I discovered they torque converter shaft was too big in diameter to fit the pilot bearing in the rear of the crank shaft. So next I returned the torque converter and exchanged it for the right one which fits perfectly and is finally permanently in place, I hope! In the mean time my neighbor Mike and I did a few dry fit tests with the new motor mounts and the engine with tranny attached. Come to find we had to cut out the old transmission crossmember, leaving enough for the brake booster to bolt too, but clearing the center section which was too narrow to accomadate the C6 transmission forcing the engine to stay too far foward. Hopefully next weekend we will once again try to get it into place!

Worked this week end on truck and steering wheel removal. Learned valueable lesson about mushrooming the steering shaft on the threaded end. Long story short, the wheel needed holes drilled and threaded for wheel puller to attach. Once on the nut that holds wheel on wouldn't fit with the bolts for puller in place. The puller didn't pull the wheel, it mashed the end of the shaft. Today I put a bolt down the center of the shaft to protect from further damage and then heated the base with a torch. The wheel came off pretty easily this way. Here are some shots:

Slowly accumulating the parts needed to get the old truck moving again. Recently purchased the ceramic coated headers from Sanderson's and a new eliminator gas petal from Summit. The gauge cluster final arrived some those are ready to go as well. With the warmer weather I seal primed the cab, still need to strip and prime the hood. Here is a bunch of parts pictures.

Yesterday I purchased my new gauges for the truck. Found a three gauge insert that has room for a small tachometer in the middle. Here are some photos of the insert and the gauges going into it.

I worked on plugging all the firewall holes yesterday using plastic plugs from Ace Hardware. I siliconed them in with black rtv sealant. Fast way to get 40 plus holes filed

Engine coming together. Primed oil pump today. Here are a few shots

This was a frustrating week trying to get the engine sealed up, but I kept running into things I'd forgetten or needed or for the engine. Once I started on the timing chain housing I was frustrated to find the new housing had a tear in the new front seal. Since it was an aftermarket housing, they used a different seal entirely, which requires a lip to the front seal. No info was provided as to what replacement seal was needed. Two days later I finaly got a hold of a company rep who said he's send two new seals out to me. Now I have to wait for those to arrive. Other missing items included a dip stick tube, and a waterpump backing plate. It's costly and time consumming to track all of this stuff down. I'm hoping the new front seal will arrive tomorrow, so I can seal it up, and prime the oil pump. Then I have about a month to patch fire wall hole, rebleed the brakes, and get everything back on the front end of the trucks body.