I got a call from Greg at Hall's Engines today. Everything is going to plan except for one glitch: unfortunately, I bought the wrong shorty headers from Summit Racing (no AIR tubes, which means the engine would never pass smog with them installed). Instead, Greg will put the OEM exhaust manifolds back on, and then when I return in 500 miles or so for the engine checkup and oil change, he'll slap on the right headers (which I'll try to order today from BJ's Off-Road), take it to a local guy he knows to get it smog certified (tuned as needed to pass), and then get it back to me.
At any rate, it's a minor setback because the engine should be back in the Jeep tomorrow and ready for testing. I'm not sure if I'll be able to pick it up Friday before the family heads to Carlsbad or if it'll have to wait until Monday.
I've had nothing but positive interaction with Greg so far, and I'm still quite confident that I found the right guy to get the job done right the first time.
