Not that I've ever done a gearbox before, but why not just pull the pickup, then put it back in when everything else is done?

And IMHO, the reason Volvo uses fasteners that are hidden in awkward places is because they put everything together with the engine out of the car, without regard to how difficult it would be to repair. Think of that pickup, for instance. Maybe my opinion is off-base, but it's coming from someone who recently had to get at that awful, invisible rear hold-down bolt on the AC compressor. It would have been no problem with the engine out, but otherwise, with my average-male-sized hands, and a 12" socket wrench extender and a U-joint taking up space in the opening, the bolt can neither be seen nor felt. What gets me is that, if they had put it in from the back in stead of from the front, it would have been no problem.

I've often felt that these cars were made with the idea in mind that they would be so dependable that they'd never have to be worked on. Either that, or they were trying to drum up more business and higher labor charges for their dealers service departments. I've often heard them referred to as "shop monsters," but I'll just say, from the comfort of my recliner, that they are "challenging."

-EdM.
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'90 240DL Wagon 'Lola' -- '72 1800ES 'Galadriel'