[kernel]

Good job and thanks for posting with pics!

Simply crawl under the car then remove & replace.

you'd have to crawl under 'barely' 15" of space with car jack.

I trust you lifted the car with the jack and supported it on jack stands before crawling underneath?

 

[kernel]

also noticed that if I'm turning right onto a road from a dead stop, the shift into second is kinda hard even if tranny is warm.

I wonder if that's an indication of a worn transmission or motor mount?