WOW! that is a gorgeous engine. There is no greater satisfaction than rebuilding an engine and having it fire right up and "purr like a kitten". Not everybody can do that and you've got to give yourself a lot of credit. I like the pictures. I can almost smell the oil and feel the plastigauge! I hope I am as lucky as you are skilled when I get to heating up the glow plugs for the 1st time!
Ugh. Sorry about the gear noise. The rear is a little more daunting for me because I know its all about replacing not rebuilding. A full line of bearing separators and a little hydraulic press can be worth their weight. Hopefully you can find a simple "junkyard problem" = "one bad dog with a broken tooth".
HTML:
Did you have any metal on the sump screens?
- saw your note on the pipe thread - glad you have good resources.
Good luck. I will be watching with interest.