After making the modifications to the parts for the FMT, I was ready for the real work. Besides installing the shifter in the transmission, I still have to drill holes around the hole in the floor in order to secure the accordion cover at the base of the shifter. Installing the shifter was the easy part. Getting things lined up to drill the holes in the right spots while dealing with the carpet gumming up the drill bit would be what slows me down. I ended up drilling an extra hole due to having one of the holes off slightly. It's no big deal, the carpet covered all that up. Plus, I had to move the flexible material to expose the holes in order to put the screws through. Next I had to use some longer drywall screws to be able to reach down and grab into the holes. Another problem that I uncovered after putting the shifter base cover on was the idea that I fucked up and cut the hole too large to one side. Even with the cover screwed down to the floor, there is an inch wide gap on the left side, exposing the open transmission well underneath. I will have to cover this up and the easiest and probably cleanest way to do this will be to cut a piece of sheet metal then use some self-tapping screws with round heads to secure the piece of metal to the floor. I'll probably have to make minor cuts in the carpet under the shifter cover to peel back some of the carpet to expose the metal floor as well. Once the hole is covered, I can put the carpet back and cover up any evidence of my mistake. The next thing to install is the transmission crossmember. I had to partially mount the transmission mount so I can line things up with the crossmember. Putting one bolt in allowed me to swing the crossmember as needed to then mount the unit to the studs on the mount. Once the nuts and washers were on snug, I could then swing the crossmember in place on top of the lips of the frame. Now the problem I ran into regarding the placement of the crossmember is the idea that because of the transmission and its apparent difference in length to the 5spd that would've been on this truck. Because of that, I was only able to put one bolt in after swinging the crossmember to a slight angle to reach one of the mounting holes. With the slots on the crossmember, it allows me to do this even with the mount's nuts and washers in place. Now it's not really important that the crossmember be perfectly straight across, so long as it's holding the transmission mount in place and is cradled on the frame. I will have to drill another large hole in the crossmember's new position in order to meet up with the hole on the other side of the crossmember to get the whole unit fully secured. Once that's done, I can then move on to the fuel pump.
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