Well, after
7 months, Christine finally came home on Tues eve.
She earned the name "Christine" during the repair as she fought everything the whole way like a car possessed. You'd think the drivetrain we pulled out was from a different car the way it went back in.
Along the way, a number of upgrades were made (although none enough to justify the time it took).
After 3 tries to get replacement stub axles (the original problem was a broken stub axle), I caved and shipped the diff off to Kirkham (the process leading up to this is what took most of the time). After consultation with David K., I ended up replacing my entire diff (same case as mine) which had a Auburn LS with their upgraded axle design and TrueTrac LS. It was a PITA to get it out and a MUCH bigger PITA to get it back in and I don't want to do it again. So stronger is better for me. I'll sell my old CSX diff after I endure the wait to get new axles. Despite Kirkhams and CSXs "all being the same", they are not and it was not easy to get it reinstalled. But it's in now.
While we were waiting on the diff, we also pulled the engine, changed out the
oil pan to one of Kirkham's new beauties (that I've been sitting on since the promo offer a year ago), upgraded the clutch and changed the bell from a Lakewood to a QT. Then we ran the engine on a stand to be sure the pan didn't leak since unlike my Canton, it is not easily removed/adjusted when in the car. I also upgraded the coolant tubes to Nick Acton's SS pieces and the fuel lines from the pump to the fuel log with an original hardline set up.
Even the motor mounts needed to be shimmed differently when we put the motor back in. WTF Christine.
But it's in, runs well (always did) and is leak free (so far). Not many miles on it yet, but not a drop of fluid on my garage floor either. I'm just glad to have her back.
Here's Christine in the foreground leaving her temp home of 7 months.
