so i FINALLY made some good progress on this. trans is in, everything is hooked up, and other than a small exhaust leak between the h-pipe and flow tube, it runs again. just gotta wait on rain to go away so i can make sure my trans repairs actually work. so for now, i'll just post some pics of what steps i've been taking the last couple of weeks since i last updated.
broken trans case
a guy from stlmustangs was able to weld it back up that weekend, but while working on it, he found a crack at the base of the snout of the bearing retainer, so i then had to wait a few days for that. unfortunately, no pics of the weld, but it came out pretty good considering his machine was probably just a hair too small and he had to do two passes with it.
when i dropped the trans, i also found a crushed piece of fuel line. assuming this happened a month or so ago when i tried to put a jackstand under the k-member instead of my usual spot under the frame connectors and the car fell onto the jack a bit. wondering if this is why it felt a bit soft on the top end of the track/rpm range.
offending piece of line (its almost completely pinched off in the middle)
and some new line spliced in; double flared, tube nuts, unions, and a pre-made 6" patch of 5/16" tube. tested it this morning and no leaks, cost about $10-15 vs buying a whole new line:
after several attempts with a helping hand, and the clutch disc slipping down 4 times, i finally got the trans in BY MYSELF!!!!!!! took a couple 6" long studs in the lower holes of the bell, trans in 4th gear, and my old bent yoke to be able to get it in there, but its finally in!!!
since it came up in
@TOOLOW91 's thread, it seems the outer billow/boot of the output seal wanted to keep folding in on itself. i stabbed the d/s in 3 times, and everytime i pushed it in far enough for the back end to clear the pinion nut, the seal collapsed
theres still about 3/4" worth of travel in the yoke here though with the rear at full droop, and it doesnt seem to be leaking (like i mentioned in the other thread, the actual part that looks like a normal seal is actually further forward into the tailhousing casting). i think i can still get a small screwdriver up in there and de-collapse it if needed though.
i also decided to put in a new clutch cable and fwa. i was using a mm cable and steeda adjuster, and while i had no tangible complaints about either, i figured i'd just go ahead and freshen it up to make sure it wasn't stretching, so a new mm cable and mm fwa were ordered. since i had both in had, figured i'd compare the steeda (blue) and mm (black)fwa's too.
as you see, the steeda is a bit beefier, might have just a touch more range, and has that click-lock thing going on to keep it from backing off, but as far as ease of use, the mm wins. the threads on the mm are coarser, and it turns more freely. you can see on the steeda (which i've had a LONG time) i've had to use pliers on it a few times to be able to get it adjusted just right. so at least for now, the mm wins, at least until it vibrates itself loose (please dont let that last statement jinx me).