Here is the new release bearing clipped into the release fork. The fork can actually be installed backwards, so care must be taken to get it right. The stamped part number, near the tape part number on the fork, needs to be down. It goes on the picot side, not the slave cylinder side. On mine, this actually put the number upside down.

Hanging from the engine hoist, ready to go in.
Splines engaged, searching for the pilot bearing.

She's home. Chain is slack.

The block is bolted to the cross-member. The transfer case is mounted-up. The taped-up u-joint is on the 1977 short drive shaft with the carrier bearing. You can see that it is the wrong u-joint. Something to deal with another day. That short shaft will most likely be a custom length anyway. I will need to fing a replacement yoke when I get it modified.

Another angle.

And...the other side.

Not sure what to do next. I need to strip the new cab of the flooring and dash and take whatever is remaining off the firewall. I also need to deal with some rust issues on the core support and modify it to accept the ctd radiator and the second generation Dodge Cummins intercooler. I am still hoping to get my 1975 grill over the intercooler, but I won't know about that for a while yet.

New Southbend Clutch

OOOOH! Lookie what Uncle UPS brought.

This clutch is rated to 400 HP an something like 700 ft/lbs of torque.
It took about ten minutes to get the packing off the flywheel. The flywheel comes with I nice pilot bearing already installed.

I do not know if it was an oversight, but this kit did not come with a pilot tool. Luckily I had borrowed one from M&H Machine.

I got all 60# of the flywheel bolted up and torqued down with locktite. You can also see the started is now in place.

Here the pressure plate os torqued dwon. I took a few minutes to level out the spring fingers where they meet the throwout bearing.

Its starting to look like a nice little package.

Cross-member and tranny-mount

Here is the donor tranny cross member in its new location, one hole toward the stern from the old member.

This is a shot of the new tranny-mount rubber bushings with part numbers.
Crappy shot of the new mount location. the square tube on top of the bracket is at least three times thicker than the cracked one I took off. It is also longer, so the holes are not as close to the edges.

Tranny Mock-up to Configure Cross-member and Mount.

I started by attaching the adaptor plate to the back of the block.

One of these holes on the left side of the adaptor plate is for the barring tool that is used for holding or rotating the engine. I do not know what the other is for. I will need to find or make covers.

This hole on the left is for the starter.
Now the bell housing. This is just a mock-up. there is no flywheel or clutch under there. You can also see the stock cross-member, minus the mount, for the 440/727 combo.

Swinging in the NV4500 (not yet gussied-up for the dance.).

With the tranny bolted up, I clamped the diesel member in next to the original for the crewcab. They are exactly the same depth, but the dirty one is much beefier. I like beef.

Some quick measuring told me that I will be able to use the rear two of the three holes in the frame and will only need to drill one set of holes to relocate the cross-member. I will also get rid of this twinky piece of square tube. It is stress-cracked almost the whole length on both the top and bottom. It is close to two pieces.

The best news of the day

Ever since I bought the donor with the NV4500 transmission, I have been unsure as to whether the truck was originally a Getrag 5-speed or an A518 automatic. Since it did not have the heat exchanger on the side of the block ot a throttle positioning sensor on the injection pump, I hoped it was an original 5-speed. I knew the current 5-speed was a replacement because it was not a Getrag. My doubt came because the three screw/bolts on the AFC that hold the cover on and also hold the TPS bracket on auto trucks were missing. The reason I was concerned is that the transfer-case input shafts on the auto trucks were significantly smaller and weaker than those for the stick trucks. The automatic equipt trucks have a 23 spline input to the t-case, the 5-speeds came with the beefier 29 spline input.

While I was waiting for my clutch to come from Uncle UPS, I figured I would sepparate the tranny/t-case so I could mock up the tranny placement and figure out what kind of cross member issues I will have.

Gloryosky Batman! I count 29 splines. Thats money I don't need to spend. Both the input on the t-case and output on the tranny have the same 29 spline count!

New Rear Main Seal

Now that the 1200# monster is off the engine stand I can get to the rear main seal. Once again, I will appologize for the poor quality of my pics. If you want to sponsor this site, send me a decent camera. Kidding, of course.

The way to do this, without removing the rear housing and damaging the oil pan gasket, is to drill two 1/8th inch holes i80* from each other in the seal. Be careful not to score the crank or the aluminum housing with the bit. Just centerpunch and drill.
Then I used my slide hammer. You can also drive in a couple of sheet metal screws and pry it out with screw drivers or wiggle it out with vise grips.

Working from side to side and using gentle taps with the slide, I eased it out evenly.

Out.

After getting it free, I cleaned the surface on the crank and on the housing with brake cleaner on a rag threaded over a screwdriver. The wear on the crank from the old seal was not that bad. I planned to drive the new seal in a little deeper than the old one so the seal lips would ride on new material.

The new seal comes with this stepped pilot tool to ease the sealing lips over the end of the crank without folding them over causing the new seal to fail. The seal is installed dry.

Ince the seal is started on the end of the crank, the plastic tool can be removed and this tin tool can be used to drive the seal in straight. I drove it in until the tin tool was flush with the end of the crank and it put it right where I wanted it.

The finished product.

Time to place the engine.

Thar she blows, hangin' by a chain again.
Next to take off the hanger from the monster engine stand.

Slips in right like it was intended to be there. No modification to the cross member or motor mounts.