ok, some progress:
oil leak diagnosed. i remember now i had waited to tighten the oil pressure sender because i didn't have a narrow enough wrench to get between the head & the sender. no worries; channel locks worked wonders.
funny noise diagnosed. the power steering lines were still cavitated. i turned the steering back and forth a bit, topped off the fluid, and it quited down.
drivability issue diagnosed. i pulled the plugs; all looked well. i checked for vacuum leaks; all looked well. it SEEMED like a cam timing issue to me, but i got a feeling it would work itself out. this motor was degreased & shelved for EIGHT years. when i did a compression test before i installed the motor (turning it by hand), some cylinders didn't have very good readings. i've been working under the assumption that some scaly crud was preventing the valves from closing all the way & maybe interfering w/ the lifters. anyway, i let it run for awhile. i revved it up to 4k and held it until everything was good and hot. i blipped the throttle a bunch & generally tried to blow out the junk. sure enough, it smoothed out & the fuel adaptation values converged. everything is looking good!
saturday, i'll raise the transmission 1/4", then put the axles & suspension bits back in. then it will be time for a road test. booyah.
