Decided to kick the project into gear this weekend, plugging along getting more and more ticked off the list. Friday started with the electric water pump modifications.

For this, you are required to press out the "guts" of an OEM water pump, press a brass plug into the back hole, then bolt on the new electric assembly. Right now it is sitting at a friends machine shop, where it was pressed out. He is going to clean it up a little bit then I'll hit it with some paint or clear coat, depending on how it turns out. If you notice the first image, he had to fab up a little tool to fit in their press so everything could be pressed out. More on this soon...

Next up, the radio install. Very simple and self explanatory, but what I did do was modify the antenna wire. The factory radio always pops up the power antenna, even when listening to a CD and now Bluetooth. I ran a switch over to the small hole near the headlights so now I can control when the antenna goes up. Full radio review coming soon, once the dash is all buttoned up.

Gauges - This is one of the worst things to happen on this project and I'm embarrassingly posting this... Ok so the Odometer fix worked perfectly, no issues and I even surprised myself with my soldering skills. You can see below the old resistors that were browned and what they looked like after removal. When I tested it out, I decided to pop it into the dash real quick, making sure my solders worked right. I did not put the screws and plastic cover on the back of the cluster, just for the quick test. Horrible mistake. When I pulled the gauges out, the circuit board and gauge face/housing separated. Not a huge issue, but 4 super small wires came loose inside and I have no idea what they go to... More on this soon, but this literally has bummed me out all weekend, just a silly mistake that happened in about 10 seconds. I'll post some pics of this next time, just was so sick over it I didn't even think to snap some.

Engine Build - I went ahead and started on the rockers this weekend too. Cleaned them as Comp Cams said with denatured alcohol, then soaked them in the Joe Gibbs racing break-in oil. Once the push rods were installed with some assembly lube, the rocker studs were installed with thread sealant and guide plates. From there, you check to see if your rockers are lined up with the valve springs, which I didn't have any major issues. The rockers are then lowered onto the studs, along with the Comp Cams rocker nuts that have polylocks backed out. Next move is to adjust all of these, following the Comp Cams & Trick Flow instructions. One thing to note on this, the Joe Gibbs Racing break in oil is insanely sticky stuff. Felt like cooking oil on my hands or something similar. Lava and regular soap was not taking it off, I've never experienced oil like this. A full review is coming soon on this, but the Jack Manufacturing Magic Hand Cleaner took it right off. This hand cleaner is legit and something you should try out. Links to purchase almost everything I've discussed are below. Check back for more updates soon!