Go to a salvage yard and get the heat insulation piece for under the hood. Paint will last much longer.

So something seems off about the passenger side CV axle. I somehow recall there being some kind of bar bolted up to the frame that the axle connected to. I think I maybe read this or seen it somewhere. Removed the axles today and the passenger side axle didn't have that. Was just a regular CV axle.

Can't comment on CV axles.

Another random piece of advice:. Have your differential pin welded. It is a known weak spot, and since you are going to run boost, you want to address this.

So I figured it out. There's an intermediate shaft that runs under the motor to the driver's side where is attached to the tranny. So that's all good. Found the axle boot is damaged so I'm gonna have to order a new boot. Axle still looks like it's in good condition.
About the diff pin, I'm guessing I'll have to remove the tranny to have this done right?

Also I found this today. Still in good condition. I've heard these are hard to come by. May come in handy.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.sat...d5273f6d35.jpg

What did you find? Nothing came through.

I've seen a few of those and never thought about grabbing them. If I ever have need to go to a salvage yard again, I'll see if I can find a few.