I had to make a slight modification to the chain tensioner so that it would have a little more adjustment. The 5/8" bolt was interfering with the adjustment so I had to cut it off and weld it to the idler arm as opposed to bolting it on with a nut. It needs to be flat on this side so it can be pushed farther back into the frame. This will make it difficult to remove the idler sprocket if necessary but it was the quickest and easiest fix I could think of at the time. And speaking of time, this project is getting so far behind schedule that I may need to build a real car for the girls if I don't pick up this pace. But it is not like I have been sitting around eating do nuts and watching TV. I just spent the last 3 weekends replacing soffit that had rotted on the garage. I thought it would entail a couple of feet but turned into about 20 ft. that needed to be replaced. Now we are getting to the fun part of the hydraulics. The hydraulic motor, pump, control valve, and tank all have to be connected with hoses and fittings. The following photo shows some of the components. Starting at the top we have a piece of 3/4" low pressure return hose. Next is a row of 3/4" street elbos, followed by 1/2" street elbos, then 1/2" male by -8 JIC 90 degree elbos, 1/2" x -8 straight, 3/4" to 1/2" bushings and the bottom row is 3/4" male hose barbs that fit into the 3/4" hose. This will get us started.

First off we will screw the strainer into the hydraulic tank. I am using teflon thread sealant tape in these connections. Some say that you should not use teflon tape upstream of the pump and valves in a hydraulic application because just a small piece of teflon tape can clog a hydraulic component. I know this is true from personal experience. However I am going to be extra careful not to let any extra tape get into the joint and it should be fine. Here a gain the Captain of the Titanic probably made a similar statement.

This is the supply end of the tank that will feed directly into the pump. It is all going to be a tight fit.

The hydraulic tank is now connected to the pump. I am going to need to enlarge the mounting holes for the tank in order to move it slightly so this can all fit. The piece of hose on the left is not connected to anything yet and I am just trying to get an idea where to mount the filter which will be in the return line. You will notice that I have installed two fittings on top of the control valve. They are pointing back toward the hydraulic motor so I can determine the length for the connecting hoses.

Here is a shot from the hydraulic motor back toward the control valve.