I just got on board reading this project. I have been wanting to do a manual swap on mine for a long time but never pulled the trigger from the fear of the involvement and shear volume of work that has to be done. Also, just like you, i can wrench, but the basics and never got that deep into a project outside of a couple clutches and regular maintenance.

Nice work and looking forward to the conclusion of your project, it gives me hope to do mine eventually!