Nothing too crazy for an update today, just moving forward slowly with whatever time I can find... an hour here and an hour there will add up in the end (I hope!)
I finished up the repairs on my AC box and got a coat of paint on it. I taped off all of the factory labels to keep a close-to-stock look. The original box had a bit of a gray tint to it, but I think it's going to look sharp with the satin black.
My oil pump and oil pan also came in. As I talked about in my last post, I decided to go with a standard volume pump and an upgraded oil pan with a crank scraper, windage tray and 2 qts of additional volume. I got both the pump and the pan from Summit and so far they look like nice pieces... can't wait to get them installed! I'm just a little concerned with exhaust clearance as my Y-pipe crosses underneath the pan, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
My current pan on the left and Summit road racing pan on the right:
In case this might help someone, I have been using a few older books to do most of my research on which parts to buy and use on my engine. There is a TON of info out there to go with a TON of different options for things like oil pumps and harmonic dampeners. These books have helped me to realize that the stock systems on these motors are actually quite stout, which means I can save some money and not have to upgrade absolutely everything. All are good reads!
Lastly, I've started cleaning up my intake and getting it ready for paint. Nothing too exciting here, just scraping old RTV off of all the sealing surfaces:
My goal for the week is to get the engine buttoned up and ready for paint.. just need to install the new pump, pan an timing chain. I also want to check my cam specs (as best as I can) and then give it a good cleaning. Little by little I'm getting there!
PS - I'm looking to get a rendering of my car done... if anyone has any recommendations that would be greatly appreciated!