A busy day

After an early morning hike with the dogs in Mac Forest I started the deconstruction of the rear end of the car. First I removed the differential.

The 3rd member. It is a little greasy--and this was after I cleaned it (in the car. . .this is the part I couldn't see well)

Followed by the springs, shocks and associated bits.

I had to remove the muffler and tailpipe to get the parking brake cable out.

Overall, it went easier than I expected, but took the good part of the day to get everything out of there (I was taking my time, with plenty of breaks, including lunch). And I still have a little bit of work remaining--the shackle bolts are a little stuck. But here's what I'm left with--I even hit it with the pressure washer when I was finished to wash off the caked-on dirt.

At least I didn't have to remove the gas tank--that's the drive shaft hanging down between the jack stands.

Tomorrow I'll see if I can free up those two shackle bolts.