Tub Primed and some New toys...

I decided that I wanted to put a coat of primer on the tub, but not complete the body work until I had the engine, tranny, and transfer case installed. The reason for this is that I didn't want to take a risk of beating up shiny new paint, but I didn't want my shiny new panels to rust. So, I cleaned up the body really well with 80 grit sandpaper, then wiped it down with Dupont Prep-Solv. Then, I shot the tub with one coat of Dupont Nason 2k High Build primer. It didn't go on as smooth as I had hoped, but I learned a lot during the process, and can definitely tell that my HVLP spraying skills improved from the beginning to the end of this coat.This method will require much more masking when I finish up the painting, but that's ok. Now that the tub is protected against future rust, I can move onto the more exciting things.

The next big hurdle in the project is the Clutch/Transmission/Transfer case install. I have been putting together parts for this for a few weeks now for this next phase. Here's a quick layout of my new toys:

From top left, clockwise: New OEM replacement Clutch for a 1996 Dodge 2500 Turbo Diesel, Clutch disk from the same on top of a used, resurfaced flywheel, NV4500 Transmission from http://www.smartpartsauto.com/, Mopar Clutch Arm, Pile of Grade 8 Bolts to stick all of this together, and Cummins Flywheel bolts. The transmission was a wonderful Engagement Gift from Lydia :) First, I assembled the Bellhousing, clutch fork, and throwout bearing.

Next, the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, and cover are installed to the engine:

Now to mate the two together....

Getting the tranny output shaft to line up with the splines in the clutch turned out to be a real challenge. I'm sure that with a tranny jack it would have been much easier, but at least I don't have to do that again for at least a few years.... Stay tuned for the next episode... putting this beast into the truck!