[Jim Sims]

Thanks to both of you!

"You will need a bad 1-R sliding sleeve. Grind off 5 reverse teeth. This allows you to shift into both 2nd and 1st to unscrew the nut on the 1-R end of the input shaft. This puts less stress on the assembly. Without grinding the teeth, a socket won’t fit on the input shaft nut. You want to do this operation with the gear cluster still in the case."

I'll need to study the arrangement further to understand this need but can't the forward nuts be removed/reinstalled by locking the transmission into two gears at once or would this be the source of too much "stress on the assembly"

"Find a bad 1st gear I (fixed). You can weld it onto a plate to make a P256."

Again, I don't understand this tool (the 901 transmission section of my shop manual is loaned out) but couldn't a suitably modified used clutch disk be used to react torque from the other end of the input shaft?

Thanks again; we'll take pictures. Jim