To eliminate exhaust manifold issues, use the cast iron Ram's Horn manifolds, they work great and clear the steering box.
You'll need to find a V8 Truck Bell Housing as they have one large bolt on each side where the cars have two small bolts on each side. Also, pay attention to the bearing retainer hole size, I believe there are two different sizes...
The throttle linkage is being reproduced and is easy to get.
Mike B
