This is a fantastic post.
It's clear this isn't the first time you've gotten your hands dirty on a job such as this, and the way you decribe it gives me confidence that an experienced DIY'er who appreciates the complexity of the job at hand can in fact make a success of a rebuild.
I too have the 4.4 with the 5HP24 trans. It doesn't need rebuilding at the moment as it's performing well after 110k miles. However if ever it should start to give trouble I would intend to perform a rebuild myself, and I've no doubt your post will be valuable. I'm going to save it locally so I don't loose it.
So thanks again, and wll done.