Just had to share my joy with the board: almost 3 months to the day we dropped the engine I was finally able to hit the road and reap the benefits of my project.
After 125 miles today I am glad to report that everything is nice and tight with no oil leaks and the new clutch set-up is a 1000% percent improvement!
It was a great feeling to be back behind the wheel with the sound of that glorious flat six behind me (minus the engine sound pad now

) I hope to get in at least another 150 miles tomorrow and then I'll be well on my way to shaking the car down for the March DE.
Thanks again to everyone on the board who helped ... I thought of you today as I was racking up the miles