Hello again. Answered my own question on the wire routing by digging into old photos. Been so long (3/2005), I forgot what things looked like and forgot that the part of the wire to the switch was still on the trans before it went to the rebuilder. I guess he tossed it.
Attached is a photo of the trans after it came out. You can see the wire running up the back of the trans to the top of the bellhousing. You can also see a faint dirt line where it was laying on the trans.
So it appears the neutral safety wire does run along the firewall and down the top of the trans. What I dont see is the tab to hold the wire on the tailshaft of the trans. But as seen in my original posted photo the bellhousing tab is dangling from the old wire on the firewall.