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It has been in the mid 60's here today. NOT typical weather for February in Michigan. Usually, this time of year, we are getting our sub-zero temps..... Not today..... Sun is shining, it's quite nice out, and almost all the snow has melted.
So I have lost almost the entire month of February due to my knee. I am finally seeing an orthopedist next Wednesday. For my bday I got a cane. I am officially old! At least it wasn't a walker. I have been able to do a few small things, but not much.
The hospital x-rays say arthritis. It started hurting on Feb. 1, then got worse. Ended up in the ER on the 3rd, barely able to walk. I have been limping, sometimes severely, for a month while trying to get into an orthopedist's office. The hospital referred me to a place that played phone tag with me for two weeks. Then they told me they don't accept my insurance. Back to the PCP to get a new referral. I am finally getting to see the specialist on Wednesday. I think I tore a meniscus, which wouldn't show up on an x-ray. Now, 3 weeks into this painful knee, swelling starts to show up. Yeah, something isn't right in there.
Today I said F it, and got back to working on my accessory drive. Just pushing through the pain and trying not to twist or put weight on my knee. The only thing missing in these pictures is the power steering pulley and the belt. This Holley mid mount system is very well engineered.
This system puts the a/c compressor and the alternator really close the front of the heads. I had to make a couple lifting brackets for the hoist chains. To remove these brackets I will need to remove the belt, a/c compressor, and alternator to get to the countersunk screws holding them to the heads. Not too difficult, but I couldn't find another solution to attach the hoist chains to the front of the engine.
The curved line on the firewall is the proposed cut line to avoid interference with the back side of the engine. The amount it has to move rearward will be determined how far back I can adjust the cross member. I have to measure the mount hole locations, which requires getting underneath the truck. Well, that isn't happening with my knee. So I will find that out later. I won't cut until I stuff everything back in there. The plan is to try and bolt the trans to the cross member when it's adjusted as far back as it will go, and see if the motor hits, and there is clearance for the radiator and fans.
By using all of the adjustment capability of the Hooker Blackheart transmission cross member, I was able to get 3+ inches of movement rearward. I joined the engine and trans, and jabbed it in there. Before I can get the rear trans mount to line up, floor material must be removed. There is a tunnel cover plate that the manual shift lever came through, and getting that out of the way is the first step. It is a bolt in cover, so we will see how the bolts come out. Getting the nose cone bolted to the cross member will tell me if the heads still clear the firewall. So there will be a lot more "in and out" for the drive train as I get un-needed metal out of the way. The plan is get the trans bolted to the cross member, set the pinion angle, and fab the new motor mounts.
I got my accessory drive all buttoned up. The Holley mid mount is a very well engineered set up. I am very happy with it.
And the big surprise of the day is I found my wheels. I have searched for many months, only to realize what I wanted was going to force me into having a custom wheel machined. That is insanely expensive, and not in my budget. So I started to research sizes that would fit with some compromises on what I really wanted. Then I found a set of four wheels, all 17 x 9.5. Two were fronts at 235/45zr17, and the two rears are 275/40zr17. The fronts actually have an interference at full droop and close to full turning with the upper a-arm, but the contact point is small and nothing a grinder cant fix. The rears fit no problem. The tires have never been driven on, but the date code is 2016. These are rollers only, and new tires will have to happen. The rims go for $245 each online, and I got all four wheels for $650. Stoked!!!!
Usually, this time of year, we are getting our sub-zero temps..... Not today..... Sun is shining, it's quite nice out, and almost all the snow has melted.
