[karlp]

Tran. is easy enough to drop. You might want to take the opportunity to drop the engine and transmission as a unit, clean it all up and stuff.
Before I found how easy it was to get parts, I took the ball out of a rearview mirror to replace the one in the arm for the TO bearing. Still working fine a year later.
The ball stud on the transmission housing will leak gear lube into the clutch area if it is not tight. I used a little permatex under mine, and a washer to get the correct height.
The correct height is important. I believe my Hanes manual lists it.