The best road to progress is freedom's road.

First thing on the agenda for the day today - install the front beam.  After a false start - I was able to figure out what to build using what I had laying around to support the front beam so I could get it secured to the car.

One thing to work out - the geometry of the parking brake cable.  The early pan has them exit at an angle that's not really compatible with the IRS inner mount.  This is going to require some tweaking to make it work.

On the off chance that they'd fit together - I bolted up the engine and transmission before attempting to install them in the car.

The crack in the transmission housing did not affect them so I continued with the installation process.

Once I'm done with the mock up - I'll pull the transmission out and send it off for a new case.

This is the first time this engine has been installed in the car.  It's not going to be run this 'go round' but I'm hoping that I can get it fired up once I work out the things that need to be fixed on the floor and sub frame assembly.

That list includes locating and mounting the oil cooler, running the oil lines, thermostat and oil filter. 

With the exhaust mounted and the temporary oil cooler lines - there's a clear path toward how to run the lines.  I think the filter bracket is going to be closer to the rear wheel than initially expected.  In about a week, I should be able to figure that out and make a decision.

I'll run a test set of hoses to make sure I like how they fit (rubber/dry fit only) before I order up the assembled hoses.  Mounting the adapter is going to be the toughest part because there are so few places to bolt things to near the engine.

This is how I left things - the rear suspension is installed but not complete.  I need to clean up the bearing surfaces, pack the CVs and assemble the rear end.  For now, it's easier if there's nothing mounted because it leaves enough space to maneuver  around and work out the oil lines/cooler location.  Once that's worked out, I'll continue with the rear suspension.

CSP exhaust installed sans heat shield (I couldn't get it to go in with the heat shield) - fit is pretty good.  Once this is ready for the road - I'll have the tack welds on the collector closed up all the way around to eliminate the exhaust leaks that will happen if left alone.

Next week will hopefully help identify where to mount the oil filter and oil cooler.  Once that's done I can work on figuring out the rear axle situation.

The pace of my progress is ironic because I'm going take this all apart to fix everything that's not right.

Maybe this time next year I'll be able to drive this car.