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My mufflers showed up last week.  I went with a pair of round Magnaflow mufflers mostly because their form factor fit well where I wanted them to go.  Once I positioned the mufflers I could finalize the angle for the lower shock clearance hoops.

I was worried about the coolant line routing on the drivers side it looked like the initial routing would not work as the shock would hit the coolant line on articulation.  I had to order some new parts to route the line differently, mostly due to the fact that the lower port on my radiator is 1.75" diameter and other than the stainless flex hose I had no other hoses in that size.

The solution involved cutting down a 1.75" Dia 90 degree silicone elbow I purchased from Speedway Motors. The elbow was the tightest one I could find and allowed me to route the line inward and away from the shock.  Next I modified a 1.50" dia 90 degree steel elbow by cutting it down and welding it the 1.50" dia tubing that used to be under my seat.  I sleeved the end that attaches to the 1.75" dia. elbow with some 1.75" DOM tubing so the diameters match. This solution adds several more hose clamps to the system but I didn't see any way around it while keeping everything removable for service.

Next I tied the two shock clearance hoops together with some 1.25" ERW tubing. Despite the tubing being as far forward as possible I had a few clearance issues with it and the fuel cell fittings.  I ended up tweaking the fuel cell mounting a bit (moved it up in front) to gain fitting clearance.

The other huge chore I have been tackling is identifying all the fittings and hose ends required for the fuel, oil and transmission cooler circuits.  The goal is to have zero hose clamps in the system for better reliability and ease of maintenance.  I will be using socketless hose with AN hose ends for all the connections, -6 for the fuel and transmission circuits and -8 for the engine oil circuit. I'll go more in depth with each system as I install them.  As a side benefit I wouldn't be surprised if these aluminum fittings dropped a few pounds from the buggy compared to the same thing in brass. All of the brass fittings I used to have in my transmission cooler circuit had a considerable heft when thy were all placed in my hand vs. the aluminum replacements which felt like nothing.

Before finalizing the position of the fuel pump and filters I decided it would be best to finish up some of the rear chassis bracing.  This led me off onto another tangent as I decided I did not like the way the initial radiator mounting created a complex multi-level floor. The old setup is on the left and the new on the right.  I found I could run a pair of cross braces from the cab area back to the shock hoop clearance tubes (avoiding the heater lines on the drivers side.

This made for a single plane floor surface and the forward portion of the cross braces will tie into my upper link mount tabs nicely.

The fuel filter bracket for the second filter which utilizes a single hose clamp to hold the filter in place.

The fuel pump bracket is similar to the filter bracket.  I was after ease of removal if needed. I cut the bracket from a piece of exhaust tubing allowing for a layer of rubber to isolate the pump.  A pair of hose clamps will secure the pump to the chassis.

The lower cross member behind the radiator has some extra bracing as it will be the mounting point for the rear axle limit strap.

To supplement the engine cooling I am adding a passive oil cooler which will be mounted where a traditional radiator would go.  Brackets were made to tie the lower portion into the winch mount plate and the upper portion ties into the non-removable section of the engine cage. I am hoping this extra cooling will work well at speed, I have no doubt the dual SPAL fans on the radiator can keep the engine cool when crawling.

The oil filter is being relocated to provide more upper link clearance.  I had to use a 180 degree fitting for the return and a 120 degree fitting for the outlet side to get the line pointed in the correct directions.  The oil filter ended up being mounted on the passenger side motor mount. would have liked it up higher but needed the room for the power steering reservoir.

Some overall chassis shots.  At this point I think I am going to flesh out the rear cross bracing and then find a spot for the transmission cooler, ARB compressor and the radiator overflow can.

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