Got around to dropping the transmission yesterday. Replaced the clutch fork and pivot ball with upgraded models. I also inspected the pilot again, and somehow the pilot was not all the way in flush with the housing. I used the alignment tool to push the pilot into the correct place, which worked well since it goes inside the pilot so it wouldn't deform while banging on it. I only got as far as getting the transmission back in and almost all bolted up. I'll know later this week for sure if it works. I can tell, just by looking at the fork, that its going to work now, im 95% sure. I will post an update once I have the transmission all the way connected and test. Looks very promising now.