Hey All,
Thought I'd provide an update on the build. I took the rolling chassis with the Cab and Bed over to the body shop earlier this year. He replaced the passenger floor pan, repaired the cab corners, and repaired the rust spots on the Firewall. He then went to install/fit the new doors, fenders, and hood. I had purchased the "premium" replacement sheetmetal, but they all either had some amount of damage, or just didn't fit right, so it took him some time to get everything lined up. All good now. He painted the firewall the body color and dropped it off about 3 weeks ago. Cab body work is done, less final block sanding. He is working on the bed, fenders, doors, and hood while I get the engine, trans, t-case, fuel tanks, brakes, steering, inner fenders, and radiator support installed.
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Installed the Steering Box reinforcement bracket from Off Road Designs. It is a nice piece and installed easily. My front crossmember was not so elegantly modified by the PO, but the bracket still works. It gets a bit tight with the brake proportioning valve, but it still fits fine. Frame wasn't cracked, so this bracket should prevent future issues.
Not shown, but I also installed the brake lines, fuel lines, and the line for the carbon canister from the tanks. The kit was from Inline Tube. The quality is great. Brake lines installed easily, but the fuel lines were a fight and I'm not sure I got it quite right yet. Note, taking the passenger side motor mount frame bracket off helps significantly.
On a side note, I am so happy with the Eastwood Chassis Black paint. That stuff is rock hard and durable. I've used it for over 20years and the stuff takes a beating and looks great. They have the newer versions (2K and upgraded), but their basic chassis black works great and so I've stuck with it.
I should have an update soon with the motor, trans, and transfer case installed. I had a last minute issue with the NP203 I had rebuilt. Apparently, the builder didn't install the part time kit correctly, so I had to take it to a local shop to have corrected. Wasn't cheap to have rebuilt, and this just adds to the pain. The nature of restorations.