*** FOLLOW UP ***
thanks to tony and apple for their replies. turns out the tranny mount was toasted - and i mean real bad. hardly any rubber left. it was basically as if the two metal components were attached without any dampening materal at all.
so, suffice it to say, with the new mount in, there's plenty of clearance now.
BUT THE BIGGEST BENEFIT -- and one that still tickles me with delight -- is that swapping the mount also solved my lurching shift problem! and i thought my tranny was going out!
of course, hindsight is 20/20, but apparently the lurching shifts were actually the movements of the tranny/engine being transferred to the frame, since the mount wasn't doing it's job.
ah, sweet victory.
at any rate, the job took about thirty minutes. all bolts were easily accessible (once the air filter assy is removed) and there was plenty of room to work.
Total cost: $85 for new mount (Tousley)
