So at this point it was time to start the assembly of the pan. I was lucky to be able to get my buddy Jason from Murco to come down and help me get the car back into a roller. First order of business was to get the pan gasket on and cut. I bought a nice one from Wolfsburg West and it was well worth the price. Nice and playable. We marked and punched out the pan bolt holes in it and glued it in place.

Front end assembly started with the inspection cover plate after I put the shift rod in. I polished the shift rod before installing it and of the handful of them I have installed in the past, the polished one went into the new bushing WAY easier than others I have done. No problems. 5 minutes on the buffer may have made a difference, I can't say for certain, but it went in easy. I also polished the button head allen bolts for the inspection plate as well.

Its the little details like that which make a difference on a build. Spending the time to get custom hardware, and polish the visible bolt heads adds just that little bit of extra pop. Well worth the investment in every aspect. More to come!