I know this has been covered far and wide and I understand how to do this job. I only have one question, I got the oil pan off and I see that I have a rail running the length of the motor connecting all the bearing caps. I've read this was added in 96 to beef up the lower end. Do I have to remove this rail or is there a way to get the cap off? I know it's only 12 bolts holding it on, but I dont have a torque wrench and I prefer to remove as few bolts as possible

Guess I'll take the brace off, went to autozone for oil and picked up a 1/2" torque wrench for $30 while I was there, couldn't say no to that

Looks like you have a handle on it.

One question: Looking at your pic I have to ask...what kind of fastener is that holding the steering dampener on the drag link?

The stock stabilizer has the tapered bolt that goes to the drag link, I got a rough country without the hardware so I got a bolt that fits snug in the bushing and called it a day. It's tight and hasnt given me any issues