Wiswind, my chest is puffed out to here!! I thought this job would take the whole weekend. Truth be told though . . . when I lived in NY (almost 20 yrs ago), exhaust system work always involved cutting, discarding and replacing. But. Here in the warmer climes, nuthin ever rusts! You can still unscrew things. I go to dumps here to find car parts that I mail north.
Now, concerning that VSS. I don't think any good is served by having that thing mounted in such a "hot" spot. The original one I pullled is still fine. I replaced it only because I had access to it when I did the headgaskets. The "NEW" one I just pulled out is shot. I got it from NAPA. The one I just put in is from A-Zone. I just can't seem to find a place to buy quality (proven) parts anymore. OEM (Ford) seems to sell items for twice the price as AZone. NAPA sells the same stuff for 1 and a half times as much as AZone. Pep Boys, Advance and AZone are all managed by kids in their thirties, and run by teenagers, but, have the lowest prices. I am about to conclude that "all" aftermarket parts are manufactured in the Far East, and that you can buy parts from any seller, and that a brand name means squat anymore.
Karl