Spent a couple hours putting the connections on the transmission cover so I can run the hydraulic lines later. Drilled for the two bulkhead connections, and drilled and tapped for the 1/2 inch pipe nipple and cap so I can add fluid easily.
Dip tube is a bit of a Rube-Goldberg arrangement due to available fittings, but it should work. It's an issue living in a small town in a very isolated area, 40 miles from the nearest Lowes or Home Depot, and 60 or 70 miles from a medium size city, 100 miles from Richmond VA or Virginia Beach/Norfolk.
The area where we live now is on the end of a 120 mile long peninsula, running west to east and ending at the Chesapeake Bay, and formed by the Rappahannock river on the south and the Potomac River on the North. For years (up until the 1960s when bridges were finally built) the only access was the long drive down the peninsula from Fredericksburg (which is located halfway between Richmond and Washington, DC) or a ferry ride across one of the rivers. There are still working ferries that serve some isolated areas of the Chesapeake Bay.
As a result of this isolation, the locals have a distinctive dialect and accent. Here's a link to a video about the interesting accents of the residents of Tangier Island, 10 miles east of us out in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIZgw09CG9E
The local accent here is not as pronounced, and is rapidly disappearing due to the likes of me, another "come here" that has taken up residence. (as opposed to a "born here.")
Historically, this area has been a recreational retreat for Richmond business owners, doctors and lawyers who had cottages "down at the Rivah." Unfortunately, it's now beginning to attract Washington DC area folks looking for a quaint area to retire to, so we do run into a few folks with not-so-southern manners.
Sadly, the "watermen" are a dying breed as most of the fisheries are on the decline, mostly due to the diseases (and overfishing) that killed off most of the oysters over the past 25 years. Sport fishing is big industry though, and many watermen have taken up running charter fishing boats, so the economy, while not exactly booming, is robust enough to support a McDonalds and a Walmart in town.
Pics attached of a REAL tap and die set, and some of the work to get the cover back in place. The dip tube required me to remove the drive shaft to install the cover.