Update:
I picked up a yolk at the junk yard. I couldn't find the shifting rods I needed. I actually made the originals work with a little ingenuity. I got the old trans out and the new one in. I went to the hardware store and got stuff to make a block and tackle. I rigged up a brace inside the cab and ran the line down through the hole in the floor. That allowed me to lift the trans from under the truck. I had one of my boys hold the end of the line while I muscled the trans in place. I got the linkage hooked up, connected the wiring and the lockout cable. All I have to do is wire in the hot wire to the relay and the ignition ground wire to the distributor.
I just realized that I forgot to put the new gasket on the side plate. I guess I'll check it frequently for leaks and replace the gasket if the old one starts to leak.
I dropped the gas tank while I was under the truck with the drive shaft off. I used the same line from the block and tackle and was able to cradle the tank while I lowered it down. I took out the sender unit and it was acting crazy. Sometimes it would settle down and give a decent reading (3-30 ohms). Most of the time it jumped all over and spiked the multi-meter. I'll try to pick up a replacement and reinstall it.
Now for the questions.
Is there a secret to installing u-joints. No matter what I did I kept getting one of the needle bearings down in the end of the cap. I pretty much destroyed my u-joint after trying to install it 3 times. Help!!!
Finally, is there supposed to be a trans cross member in my 58 Suburban? The new trans has a lot more weight hanging on the end of the trans. I'm concerned that the trans housing may not be strong enough. I don't see any evidence that there ever was a trans crossmember. Just wondering if the later trucks that had the overdrive transmissions had one.
This is exhausting work!!!
