Last Minute Odds and Ends

Its almost time to install the new engine and transmission into the truck.  As usual with an engine swap, there are lots of miscellaneous, last minute things to do before dropping everything onto the frame for the last time.  Things like:

Installing the fuel pump and the oil pressure sending unit:

 Installing the water temperature sending unit and a brass plug on the intake manifold:

 Draining the old used oil out of the engine:

 ...and replacing it with new oil:

 Locating the engine to TDC (Top Dead Center on Cylinder #1) and reinstalling the distributor.  You have to do this to make sure the spark plugs fire off at the right time.  This is a topic that requires specific knowledge of how engines work and is well documented on the internet, so go look it up if you need more info.  Basically, though, you can find TDC by looking into the exhaust port of the #1 cylinder and turning the engine over by hand with a socket and breaker bar.  You turn it over until the piston reaches the top of the compression stroke and then you install the distributor such that the contacts line up to firing on the #1 cylinder wire.  Sounds complex, but it is pretty straightforward once you get the sequence of things happening inside the engine.  Pic of the exhaust valve looking through the exhaust port:

Cleaning the input shaft of the transmission.  I hit it with the wire brush and sprayed it down with WD-40 later.  Surface rust should not affect the performance of the clutch plates.

 Installing the output shaft seal on the transmission.  Note: you can damage the seal if you try to just hit it with a hammer around the edge to pound it down into the transmission housing, so you have to find something of the approximately the same diameter to drive it in evenly.  Remember kids, using a glass jar to drive in an output shaft seal is dangerous and you should only purchase high quality salsa and a sturdy rubber mallet to avoid serious injuries.

 Reinstalling the steering linkage.  This is an ongoing issue that is not fully resolved.  The gearbox shaft alignment appears to be 3 teeth off from the linkage using the new style keyed shafts.  The old pitman arm that came on the truck does not have key slots, so you can orient it however you want.  Its worn out and sloppy, but it will work for now until I burn more calories on the problem later...

The next steps are to install the flywheel and clutch assembly, mate the engine to the transmission, and drop it in!