Before you know it, they're all grown up

Where's the Gremlin at?  I've been maintaining this log for many months beyond what I expected, and it's been a long while since I posted anything akin to a status report.  So again, what's the deal?

Well, at some point someone snuck in and got a lot of stuff done.  I got the transmission cooler lines sorted out, thanks to the donation made from a 1996 Large Cherokee.  Exhaust test fits have been made and things look promising to that end.  That said, this is what I need to do before I can button up the interior:

• Install flex plate and trans (using ARP bolt kits 240-7301 and 200-2905).
• Replace oil pump pickup (should've replaced the old one in the first place.  It's hanging low and getting blocked by the slight difference in sump design used in the Spirit, which is what the replacement pan came from).
• Install shifter column cable built from XJ parts and using an adapter bracket based on aftermarket products.
• Get an appropriate sets of leaf shackles installed.  The ones packaged in the Prothane kit are unusable without an extreme degree of machining to remove about a quarter of their overall mass.  I found the same kind of shackles that the Gremlin had when I bought it, and they were only $15.  They seemed to do just fine for a good, long while before I got them, and I expect they'll do just as well with new leafs and bushings.
• Install gas tank and get it hooked up.
• Cut, bend, and weld the exhaust pipes to mate them up with their side pipes.
• Connecting engine bay hoses, wiring, etc.
• Replacing the rear flex line in the brake plumbing with something more sensible than the integrated tee design.

It's really far less than I thought, and far less than others seem to believe.  Soon enough, suckers!