Ok, so let's see if I can get this thread back on track!
I've been down with the flu for the last week, but I felt well enough today to begin tearing everything apart again. It took about an hour to completely remove the blower. I pulled out the heater fan, too.
Although I've been using a GM (cough! cough!) heater fan (because it's smaller than the Ford unit that came with the truck), Cadillac fan motor that I have sticks out half as far from the firewall. Tomorrow, we'll be going out to Abbotsford and I'm hoping I can find a replacement squirrel cage for the Cadillac fan motor. (The other GM one I have is a different design and it won't fit!)
Once I've got the fan problem fixed, I can put the blower back on and try to line everything up again . . .
Patience, patience, patience!!!