unhooked the linkage from the tcase today and i cant get the lever on the case to budge, i think thats why the linkage bent up. i pulled on it with 2 hands and all the power in me and i couldnt budge it, so i went out behind the garage and found another trans with tcase attached to it(no the linkage wasnt on it) so i dragged it in the garage and had the tcase took off within 10 minutes, including going and looking for it out behind the garage in the snowbank.
i grabbed the little lever on this other tcase and i could move it with 2 finger. so i think tonight i am going to swap cases, doesnt seem like a big job. unbolt rear driveshaft, unplug the speed sensors and 4x4 indicator light and what not and then the 5 bolts that hold the case to the trans and the front shaft should just slide out after pulling back the tcase then drop it out of the truck, push the new one up in place bolt it on and plug it in and giv er. seems like it shouldnt take more than an hour, im sure most of you can have it done in much quicker but i never done this while while under a truck before