Today I fileld the tranny , filled the transfer case , finished off my drive shafts , and started on my brackets for the fuel cell.Of course I didn't have enough steel , so I have to wait till tomorow to get some more.At the same time I am picking up the square stock to make my sliders <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> I am also going to start playing with the other part on the back of the bumper and get that fabbed up , then drill the holes for the mounting points on the gussets I made.After that, I can start putting my front clip on , well , actualy that might be another couple days till my filter gets here.

Hopefully in the next little while you will hear me saying its alive <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />Some of the little stuff I can do later like skid plates , etc.Mostly getting the fuel cell done , and the front clip , then its ready for the body.I just wish I had more time in the day.Women , sheesh , never let you have any fun <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/nana.gif" alt="" />

I'll have some new pics soon , once I get the fuel cell on and the lines mounted to it and the pump.

I got my fan belt on , finished off the hoses on the tranny that go to the rad , just have to hook it to the rad once I get that in there , then the rest of the time today I was doingmore work on the bumper situation , and the fuel cell brackets.A few longer bolts , and the bumper situation will be fixed , I drilled out the holes today, and am just going to use nuts and bolts , not the captured nuts that are either stripped or fallen out anyway.Once thats all fixed , then the fuel cell will be mounted up , and I can finish off the lines and put the pump on.

My oil filter adapter came today , so I put that on also.Just have to put the header back on after I put the hoses on it and thats all done.Of course I need an allen wrench for the plugs , and wouldn't you know it , its a standard size , bigger than the ones I have.My metric falls one size big and one size small <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" /> So , I have to go out and pick one up for this , which I'll probably never use that size again.Another thing I have to do is fab something to mount the oil dip stick as I am not using the stock one , and the mount point is halfway down the block , not at the top like the stock.Should be simple enough to make something work for it , plus a little locktite in the bottom to hold it in there.

Well , got the oil filter adapter mounted today , I had to move the oil sensor to the other side , which I think shouldn't be a problem as it was threaded there , I just swapped the plug into that hole.I then put my other header on , so both are now on , and the hoses are on the oil relocator , just a matter of putting the filters on , and mounting it somewhere , just not sure exactly where yet.

I have the fuel cell ready to mount , but I needed some measurements to be sure of room with the hoses and adapters taking up 4.5" on top , so iif anyone can answer those questions in my other post <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I also fixed up the bumper and hitch mounts , still have to fab something for the middle mount points , but that can be done later.

Pretty much next step after the cell is mounted , the front clip and rad go on , then the body <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />Now all I can hope is it fires up the first try so I can take it to get the Y pipe on , and an alignment.Hopefully this weekend or by mid week , the body should be on if everything goes well. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/baby.gif" alt="" />

what a project! Lots of work. I admire your stick-to-it-iv-ness. Good luck!

Well , today I put the front clip on , not fully tightened down yet , but it has the 3" lift in it.I then put the rad , tranny cooler and A/C rad in there.Hooked up all the rad hoses and tightened the rad down.I took a few pics of everything of course <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />I do have 2 things I can't remember exactly where they go.One is a ground wire off the battery terminal wire , with an eyelet on it.I believe it came off the engine , just not sure where it goes back on.I have a pic of it in here , and the second one come soff the harness where the distributor is , its a long wire , yellow with a black stripe , with a single pin connection on it , I can't remember if it goes to the winter/power switch control when the body is on , or if it goes to the engine somewhere <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> All the other wires and cables I marked , so easy to fix , I just forgot a couple <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" /> I have a pic of me holding that wire also.



the tranny with the modified transfer case shifter



The modified shift linkage.I just had some rod added to it.



From the back , the engine and clip and stuff.



The view from the front.



View from the top.



The wire with the eyelet in the middle of the pic is the one I believe goes on the engine somewhere , just not sure where.If not on the engine , maybe where the hole in the wheel well is with a bolt?But I can't see a ground going there , the other one goes to the frame , so it has to go to the engine <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



And this is the yellow wire with black stripe that is by the distributor.Its fairly long , and looks like it could go to the tranny , or to the engine.I'm guessing to the tranny once the body is on and thats why I can't find where it plugs in yet <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/notooth.gif" alt="" />

theres a hole for that on the side of the block near the bottom, im guessing its the same on the 3.4 so stick your head in the wheel well and look around for it.

by the way I dont post much but ive been watching your threads this whole time, knowing the kind of things you are going through.. I joined this board around the time you started, and finished my body swap project about a year ago. that was enough to get it on the road and get me obsessed with troopers, now I have the good frame from the donor body waiting to be painted and built up in a similar fashion. Its alot of work but in the end it feels good knowing there is nothing that cant be taken apart and put back together again <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

When the frame is bare is the best time to do any mods you want to do <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I decided to do everything while I am swapping the frame.It is so much easier to work on things with no engine or body in your way.Everything was replaced , swapped , or is brand new on this puppy , so should be good for a long time now <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Not a lot to do today as I need the metal to finish my fuel cell brackets , so I got rid of the old frame and engine from out front.I now have room out there to put the new frame , so I can put the body back on.It only took me 2 hours to cut up the frame , and move the engine to my other shop where I built up the 3.4.Tomorow I go dump off the scrap metal , and pick up the metal I need to get the cell in there.After that is the body.

Well , today I got my fuel cell mounted , but ran out of the russell fittings as I was doing my main fuel line.I thought I had 2 on the pump allready , but they were just fittings to get it to the right size.So , tomorow I have to pick up 2 more fittings to go from the pump to the other filter.I took a couple pics of the tank , and the pump and where I mounted it.Its a long weekend , so I'm hoping to get the body on by the end of the weekend and see if it fires up first try <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />







Heres the filter I put between the tank and the pump.I also have an identical filter just under where the firewall is.



And heres the Holley Black pump.If it can runa 69 Camaro with a 502 and nitrous down a 1/4 mile at 160 MPH , I think it can run a trooper with a 3.4 in it <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Just a couple more little things to do before I put the body on , but I should manage to get them done by this weekend.

Well , today I kind of got the body on.For now its on the frame with some blocks under it untill I get the body lift installed.The back end is a little over an inch higher than with the lift , and the front end is just a little too low to fit the lift blocks in right now.I first have to fix my little boo boo <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/scared.gif" alt="" /> I miscalculated a little where the cell sits , and how high , one of the fuel lines ended up sitting almost right under the cross member on the bottom of the body.I think I can possibly make it work so it sits between the 2 lines , or just take a little notch out of it as its just a hair short of being the right fit.Also , I went to put the angled fuel filler on , and found out they are welded into the tank , something the salesman neglected to tell me when I told him what I wanted it for <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" /> So , now I have to get more fuel hose and make it work with the straight nozzle on the cell.Other than that , its sitting almost perfect for putting the lift in , just have to slide the back over a hair to get the bolt holes perfectly lined up.

Anyway , heres todays pics.







The first 3 are before the body went on.The next 3 are with the body on , and the last one shows the cell , and you can kind of see the mistake.

Managed a couple things outside before it started pouring today.I cranked the torsion bars to raise the front end , still not sure the total height yet , but they were at less that stock after I reindexed them and were sitting on the stops.I also took off the fuel filler hose so I can pick up some tomorow and get the right size.I also did almost have the plugs under the engine compartment back together , and hooked up the 2 heater hoses on the back of the engine.Still a bit left to do yet , but its coming.

Tomorow my fittings will be in so I can fix the problem with clearance on the cell and then get my pucks installed.I have to shift the body around a little to get the holse lined up perfectly , but that shouldn't be a huge deal , its only a tiny bit off.I did find one plug under the hood , I don't see anything that matches it , so I'll have to dig through the book and see what I can find out.Its on the right side fender well(passenger side) just behind the fluid resevoir for the wipers.There are 4 relays under a plate , then 4 more under another , and a part bolts to that with a red plug.But on the outside of that plate is a black plug , kind of similar to the relays under the plate , but I believe this one is a little bigger.I didn't get a chance to snap a picture as the rain started pretty good and everything was getting wet so I had to rush to cover it all back up.All the other plugs are color coded , or match other polugs as they can only reach so far.I believe I saw something in the book about starter relay or something like that , but I think that was the one with the red plug.I have to read it again <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />