S-Series Delayed/No Reverse

OK gang - here's my experience with this common S-series tranny
problem.
I have a '96 SL2 with 118k miles. All of a sudden I was getting some
harsh shifts that would turn on the SES light. A delayed reverse would
also become NO REVERSE after the car warmed up.
I decided to take my chances with the Input Shaft Nut since the nut
(SN21001680) and End Cover Gasket (SN21001684) were only about $12. I
went in hoping I could dream up something that would take the place of
the Input Shaft Holding Tool (SA9119T) that was called for in the
manual. Getting the End Cover off was somewhat of a pain - you have
to lower the engine a tad to get at the top few bolts (10mm) and
separate the ball joint to move the strut aside a little.
After getting the cover off I discovered you need a thin-wall 23mm
socket to get at the 12-point shaft nut. (I had to grind down a
Craftsman socket enough for it to fit into the clutch pack recess).
Since the nut came out rather easy, I felt a little more confident that
this was my problem. However, rather than risk mucking up something by
using a chain wrench or other jury rig to stop the shaft from turning
while torquing the new nut to 111 ft-lbs., I decided to buy the proper
tool. I went through 3 Saturn dealers before one of them would tell me
where to get the tool (SPX Service Solutions - Owatonna, MN 800
533-2585). The bad news: $150 plus shipping (Yikes!:-( - looks to be
worth maybe $25). I also replaced the Output Shaft Nut (SN21001679 -
$2.82) since I was already in there. Probably 5 hrs. work all toll,
but problem solved!:-)