All:
Business workload is back to normal (maybe even a little slower than normal) - which means bandwidth is back to reconnect on this project!!
I've emailed the Auto Shop teacher, Mr. Thayer, letting him know I will be doing all I can to return to the shop class this Fall - if he'll have me back, and he replied, "Absolutely!". He told me of a student who graduated last year, who stopped in to visit and asked about the Jeep project. That warms my heart and ups the motivation to do my best to keep the business workload from getting out of hand so I can return in 5 months.
Meanwhile, I've just returned from Diamond Springs, CA (about an hour's drive away) and dropped off my front and rear axles with the Dana 44 and Dana 25 differentials at the Jimmy Strauss Jeeps shop (
https://www.jimmystraussjeeps.com). They will do the rebuilding and get the backlash, shims, etc. all correct that we struggled with. Got a tour of their shop. Very impressive!