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11/09/25: Mother Nature has been unusually kind over the last few weeks, which allowed me to make significant progress. I have officially turned the corner! Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been painting all of the little bits and pieces of the interior necessary to get it back together and are now ready for installation. I’ve transitioned from the grind of deconstruction to the pure fun of reconstruction!

I started by tackling the interior floor and the gas tank area. My first order of business was installing the sound deadening sheets under the seat area and behind the gas tank. With that sorted, I installed the new gas tank isolator pads and set the new tank temporarily in place to ensure I could position it correctly for the gas petcock installation.

After taking a good, hard look at the old gas tank petcock, I decided to replace it entirely. Given its age, a failure down the line would mean draining the tank just to replace the valve, so a new one is cheap insurance. I did hit one small hiccup: the grommet I bought where the petcock passes through the floor was too large. So, I’m holding off on strapping the tank down until the new parts arrive.

While waiting for those small items, I switched gears and got the shifter back in place and mounted the steering wheel— it feels great to have those components back where they belong! I also installed the parking brake and a new boot that fits into the floor.

The final task involved the transmission cover. I bought the transmission cover gasket kit, but after inspecting the contents, I chose not to use them. The gaskets appeared to be real thin tar paper, and the only sealing surface would have been the thin edge of the transmission cover itself (18 gauge). This would inevitably leave about a 1” ledge for debris and water to collect, a perfect environment for rust to thrive. Instead, I opted to use 1/4” thick foam weatherstripping, 3/8” wide. I believe this will do a far better job of sealing out the elements and noise than the kit provided. I installed two strips: one directly on the outer edge of cover and another on the floor, positioned closely to the edge. The two gaskets straddle the cover bolts.

The transmission cover gaskets did not go to waste. I was able to cut and cement them on the new access cover I fabricated for the new relocated master cylinder, providing a seal for that floor opening.

I also decided to buy a new battery box cover. I was going to repair the existing one but after sandblasting the bad spots, allot more holes appeared .

It’s amazing how much happier I feel reassembling, as my dream starts to become a reality. I’ll keep you updated as the interior continues to take shape!