The axles are now loaded and the motor cleaned and a little paint here and there. The exhaust is now together, but I used stainless steel nuts & bolts so a later repair can be done without a lot of burning fingertips on parts that have to be heated for removal.   Oh btw, cleaning the motor and valve cover was an all day project, then painting took all evening.

 

The fuel tank is in position, and waiting for new straps. When I called about the fuel tank straps, dealers said there were only two left in the country at a hefty tag of $45.95/each and that won't include shipping. No one else seems to make them for my model!

The new skid plate has metal to protect the tank from hot exhaust.

A good safety improvement!

One of the old straps is being used to keep the tank from moving while I work on other things.

The brake hose would have rubbed on the shocks, so a relocation by making a new one, and mount it at an angle fixed the problem.

The replacement cable for the drivers side was to long, so an adapter had to be made. This cable clamp does the trick.

I really wonder if the replacement part is just plain wrong!