It has been six long years since Project Responder was on the road and we’re ready to get her back out there. The truck sat dormant for so long due to a small oil pan leak at the rear of the motor. The only solution was to pull the motor, again, or drop the transmission. Finally, the decision was made to drop the transmission and get it fixed once and for all. That was back in 2017 and once we started, the genie was out of the bottle. What should have been a fairly simple undertaking became a huge undertaking. Completely and radically updating the truck. Once the transfer case and transmission were removed, it was clear that the road had not been kind. The transfer case which was once clean and shiny was now oxidized and dingy. The transmission was even worse. The paint had not held up very well. They looked like they had been used and abused. But we finally had full access to the motor so we could begin, and begin, we did.
Truth be told, once the drivetrain was out of the way, the ‘rabbit hole’ revealed itself and down we went, full steam ahead. At this point, we had kind of split off in several directions. With the transfer case, transmission and driveshafts now apart from the truck, it was decided this would be our opportunity to get everything powder coated. Finally, the drivetrain would be as nice as the rest of the truck. But where does it end? The transmission and transfer case were disassembled along with the driveshafts and set aside for painting.