[Second Series]

Thanks, This was Oxy-Acetylene. I’ll use O-A to repair the cracks on the rear door.
I installed the inner fenders, put in fresh oil and changed fluid in the transfer case. I got an economy squeeze bulb and spent probably and hour moving 2 ½ quarts, at least it was a nice day.
I started to thin the interior wiring harness by cutting off the bulkhead connector, and then the convenience center. I cut the buzzer module and relay sockets from the convenience center. Next I cut the e-tape, and bundled the wiring trying to isolate the extra wires from the convenience center that won’t be used. I tried to reshape the harness some. I made a box to mount the fuse panel and relays.
I re-used most of the clips from the original inner firewall pad, all the mounting holes lined up between the original firewall and the new firewall cover. One hole near the passenger side firewall stiffener was not working with the original clip. I could not find a modern body panel clip that would work. I ended up using an elevator bolt at that position.
The gasket on the top of the transmission was in rough shape. When I got the donor truck, the shifter was really loose, I would hit my knuckles on the dash. I tried to tighten the bolts but they were stripped, Two longer bolts worked, but the other Two didn’t so I used self tapping sheet metal screws. I didn’t drive the truck much and a couple years later the shifter was loose again. After much hemming and hawing I finally put a couple helicoils in. I was not looking forward to working on the top end of an aluminum transmission case, but in the end it was a solid fix that I felt good about. The original top gasket consists of a rubber gasket stuck to a metal plate. This is a 5LM60 transmission. I didn’t locate a replacement top gasket for this one, but I did find one for a NV3500, same case different guts. It is a thick rubber gasket. I tightened the screws down pretty good but there is some play in the top plate while shifting. I don’t feel comfortable over tightening the bolts and risking stripping the other two, so I might just go back with the original gasket.