I thought I would have gotten a lot farther tonight than I did. I started to put the motor back together tonight, got the oil pan on and the block shaft covers/seals on, but I forgot to put the steering rack back in place before I put the pan up and secured it. I tried to lift the motor up but there still wasn't enough clearance to slide the rack between the pan and the cross member. I then unbolted the top bolts for the motor mounts and tried to get more clearance, which just led to a two hour headache of still not being able to get the rack back in place, and then the motor wouldn't go back onto the mount on the driver side. So I wrestled with that, eventually got the motor back on. I gave up and popped out the tie rod ends and removed the rack entirely.
I guess it's not horrible, since I do need to replace the rack bellows and fill them with oil, so this kind of helps me out. Still frustrating! I was hoping to drop it down and finish putting the head on with all of the gaskets in place so the sealant could cure.
I might do that tomorrow, we shall see.
What's left before dropping the car to the ground again:
Replace bellows on steering rack and reinstall it.
Replace sway bar bushings
Once that's done I can put the head on, install the exhaust manifold and intake, connect the exhaust pipe, reinstall the thermostat housing, install the distributor, set the points, time the engine, put the valve cover on, clean and install the carburetor, replace the water choke with the electric one, install the radiator, mount the transmission oil cooler (old A/C condenser), connect the radiator hoses, gap and install the spark plugs, connect the distributor, install the alternator, install the battery, and add the oil.
After that I have to wait so the sealant on the coolant components can cure, then probably wednesday or thursday night I will add the anti-freeze to the cooling system, and start her up for the first time.
I'm thinking six to seven hours tomorrow, if all goes as planed.