A few months later, Andreas Sr had scraped together enough money to finish work on the transmission. In the meantime, Ken had them work over every square inch of the Vette. They checked out the suspension, had to think about replacing the shocks later but not necessary right away. The springs were still good. Not likely they were going to take this baby off road much. They stripped all the rust off the frame and repainted it. The upholstery job at Jr's school had turned out beautifully. The guys had all stopped by to watch Jr's progress with the interior panels and bucket seats. He did very good work! Not everything went smoothly. Old Ben had taken ill with a touch of pneumonia and been rushed to the hospital for a couple weeks stay. It had been a close call. He was trying to doctor it himself. The guys hadn't been by for a couple weeks and he was too proud to call them. They made him go to ER and from there he was rushed into ICU. He was lucky they found him when they did. Afterward, the guys made a pact never to leave Ben alone so long again. And Ken got a nice promotion at work! He was very pleased and a little surprized. He had been helping out in the advertising department and a lot of his ideas were being tried out. He turned out to have a knack for it, so they made him vice president in charge of advertising. Nice pay raise to go with it, AND a company car! Woo Hoo!!! Sr hasn't been doing so bad either. Since working on the Vette, his own self esteem has risen to the point he isn't afraid to suggest changes to certain processes that have saved the company a bundle. He got another promotion and suitable raise and is held in high esteem by his workmates. He still maintains his humility and is most generous in his praise of his fellow workers. Morale is very high in his workshop! Jr has developed quite a following at school as well. All the athletes have asked to work out with him and his friends. He has generously shared the plan given to him by Ken. The school has given him a nice award for his work. While not a straight A student, he is doing a lot better in his classes than he had been before work started on the Vette. So, all in all, having this little project has had many unexpected beneficial side effects. So here they are nearing the end of the project. The engine and tranny are assembled. The car has been prepped for painting. Once they install the powertrain, they can drive the car over to the paint shop, where one of Ken's good friends, a highly skilled painter, will have the honors. He owes Ken so they will get a nice discount on his work. Once the paint cures, the Vette will head over to Jr's school where the upholstery will be installed. The Vette's original rims are being redone. Old Ben had an old set of rims and wheels he let them use to shuttle the car to the various finishing locations. So, again, after some hefty jockying and maneuvering, the guys get the drive train back into the Vette. After running through the check list compiled by Ken making sure everything is connected and there are no leaks anywhere, they fire up the engine! It fires right up and ohhh the smooth, throaty sound of that V8 rumbling through the dual exhaust! It sends chills of joy up and down the spines of all the guys! They shut her down and close up the barn and head up to Ben's house for a celebratory feast! Way to go guys! We can't wait to see the finished Vette!!!! Thank you for taking a peek! Your support is greatly appreciated! Andreas character morphs, both adult and youth versions, free, from Leije, here at 'osity! Thank you, Leije, again, for your kind generosity in sharing these fine character morphs!