Thanks buddy. Captain Crackhead managed to fix the problem, pics to come tomorrow!

 

I think Captain Crackhead is doing a pretty good job.

 

Did a lot of small cuts, and set the engine. Pull it, cut some more, set it again. After 3 tries, fits perfect. Burned it in, cleaned it up, and set the engine again. Fits like a glove! Now, on to that trans mount.....

 

Atta boy Pat, we knew you could do it...

 

Just a quick word on air dryers. I've been limping along with this cheapo set up from Campbell Hausefeld. Worked okay for a while, then the filter in the descant section dried out, and fell apart, allowing desiccant into the air line. I put another filter behind the desiccant filter, and that worked for a while, but, ultimately, that too failed. So, decided to suck it up, and upgrade to a better filter. We'll see how the new system works out.

 

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled build. Now, you may be wondering.....why is he marking, then cutting a notch in the frame? Has he gone mad?? Well, that's up for debate. What the real deal is......

 

But first, this! Okay, tranny mount is on. Because I tend to overdo things, I'm probably going to weld that plate to the bottom mount, along with the bolts. I had to cut away the front part of the crossmember section to get the tranny to fit.

 

Now, I can tell you why I notched the frame.....Went to mount the transfer case....and...IT'S TOO FREAKIN' BIG! So, had to cut a notch to get the damn thing to fit. I'll have to trim it back a hair more, just for clearance.

 

As you can see, I won't be using a two-piece driveshaft, so that whole support plate will be getting removed. Now, time to get the cab ready to install, and see what clearance issues I'll have with the trans tunnel.

 

Are you going to box the frame in that area Pat, looks like a weak spot

 

Yep, going to put a couple of gussets on both sides of that notch.

 

Back to the build, just a quickie update. Got the new hinge springs put on the doors last night. Man, that was not fun. Also, since I'm hoping to mount the cab this weekend, I'm going to have to cut down the rear 2wd mount pads. For whatever stupid reason, Dennis Carpenter won't make the 4x4 rear cab mount pads. All they would have to do is cut down the 2wd ones, they are the same thickness as the front pads. So, I get to do that myself. The front mounts are the same for both 2wd and 4x4.

 

I thought that you had those mounts all sorted out with DC? I guess not and at least you have an easy go around to accomplish what you need to do.

 

I knew they were too big, the back ones. Had the machinists cut them down this morning, so, I'm good to go now. Should start fitting the cab tonight or tomorrow. Depends on how it fits over the transmission.

 

Hope the cab goes on smoothly Pat.