Wow- I've really fallen behind here - work and family keep taking priority, so the Patrol and posting on the forums keep getting delayed...
I'm still waiting on getting my transmission back from the shop, so I went ahead and installed the engine - adding the transmission later will probably be easier anyway (I hope). Given the troubles getting it removed, getting it back in was surprisingly easy - it only took about an hour and a half.
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The biggest problem was the front engine mounts - the new ones made by Then and Now Automotive. I believe the bolts on the top of the mounts were slightly offset from center originally. I had them replace those bolts with new ones since one of mine sheared off during the engine removal (the whole point of having them remade). However, the new mounts had the bolts in the center, meaning that the engine would just barely not fit. After spending an entire evening lifting the engine back up a couple inches and trying small adjustments, I finally drilled out the mounting holes on the engine just slightly, and everything popped in place; Not my first choice, but I don't believe it was enough material moved to make a big difference. Another trip to Ace to get some new hardware, and all the mounts are now good and tight.
Part of the reason that I decided to put the engine back in at that point was that it was much easier to try the starter out with the engine in place. So I hooked up the wires and gave it a try. The good news was that the starter and solenoid fired correctly (remember - all new wiring here!). The bad news was that it didn't turn the engine over... After a brief panic, I realized that the battery has been sitting there for the past several months, used for testing the new electrical setup. So I put it on a battery tender for a day or two. Tried it again, and the starter turns over the engine. Not fast, but should be enough to get things going.
At this point, I'm still waiting on my water pump to return from Kellog Automotive, from being rebuilt - it should be here in the next couple days. So I've been jumping around with little projects here and there. I still need to get my valve clearances set (thanks for the help!). And I still need to track down someone local who can weld cast iron.
I was working on getting my clutch connectors all hooked back up under the car, and somehow when I went to test it (by just pushing on the clutch), the retainer clip / wire broke on me:
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I plan on just going down to the hardware store and seeing if I can find a wire that I can bend to match. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears.
Last night was spent cleaning the transfer case- something that I've put off for more than a month now. Here's a picture a few minutes into it:
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It's a bummer how much progress has slowed, but at this point, the devil is in the details...
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