[MDPotter]

The biggest achievement of the weekend was the exhaust. I bought a 2.5" builders kit from Summit (natural finish) and used less than half of it. The Summit tubing was thicker than the Speed Engineering downpipes actually. It's a pretty simple routing - a 135 degree bend off the downpipe and then a straight run through the crossmember and into the black widow Venom 250 mufflers. The hangers I bought were intended for a system with more overhead clearance, but I installed them in a cantilever fashion. I left one half of the v-band clamp on the exits of the mufflers so I can finish up the tailpipes once the bed is on.

I used stainless wire on my mig welder with the same Argon/CO2 gas I've been using on mild steel and the welds came out fine. Maybe a little more spatter than with the correct gas, but just fine for exhaust on a driver. I had some silver engine paint leftover so I sprayed the welds for good measure. Also welded in an extra O2 bung for potential future wideband tuning.

My missing wheel cylinder link is supposed to show up today so I can finish up my rear drum rebuild and put the rear end back together tomorrow night. I'm on schedule to set the cab, doors, fenders, and grille this weekend!