Progress is never linear - more like fluctuating positively upwards

The engine is now at the final mock up stage.  I took the exhaust and the remote oil filter/thermostat over to Jim's to see if the standard bracket would fit/work.  At first glance, it looks too good to be true.

I was cautiously optimistic that the oil filter would simply mount right up to the car given the complexity of the pipes and from this angle - it looks pretty darned good.  The standard FastFab oil filter bracket fits - the thermostat/filter mount fits and it's not super close to the exhaust.

It does appear, however, that the j-tube is going to exit the rear of the engine right about the same place that the oil filter will occupy when mounted here...so another solution may be required.  A test fit with the j-tube will ultimately determine what happens next.  This photo additionally shows the flanged bolts making contact with the engine tin - that was quickly resolved by swapping them out with button heads.  EDIT: The oil filter mount isn't going to work in this location because the j-tube will foul the oil filter (or vice versa) so another solution will need to be found before it can be finalized.

It's hard to see - but the exhaust pipe curves slightly back toward the engine.  That will prevent simply extending the bracket for the remote oil filter - I may have to come up with a completely different solution.

I received a message today that one of the sellers of IRS rear suspension parts is planning to gather up all of the parts and ship them to me tomorrow...which would be a very welcome step in the right direction.  There's a chance I may be back to work in 3 weeks so I won't have nearly as much time to do this stuff once that 'work life' thing kicks back in again.  I would love to be back working like a normal person again.

I was going to order new spring plates for the swing axle torsion bars and see if I could use them in place of the stock stuff since neither of the people I've contacted had gotten back to me for over a week.  I've figured out that the short torsion bars are Type 1, the intermediate torsion bars are Type 3 swing axle and the long ones are Type 3 IRS.  I could use my existing swing axle torsion bars with new spring plates and retainers as a next step.  Or I can go 'all in' and get short torsion bars in a larger diameter, Jaycee retainers and Swayaway spring plates to replicate a cleaner look done by another Type 3 owner.  I like the look but don't know if it would be too stiff so starting with the stock set up is probably the best idea for now.

The next three weeks are going to be busy with job searching, interviewing and trying to get this car back together - pivot and persevere scheduling, problem-solving and multi-tasking are good for my brain.  Most of this will come together pretty quickly but there will be some details that are going to be tough to chase down but I'll get them...the momentum is building.

Background Tune: "Lone Digger" by Caravan Palace