OK, thanks for the tips.

MY old high school teacher / Mopar racer friend, - from Wikipedia below:



who lives up the street from me suggested possible tailshaft housing gasket as well as shaft o-ring and the fixes are:
1) slight tap - veeery light - (.060ish) on the shaft to re-seat o-ring
2) tap, clean and RTV hole plus remove tailshaft housing and new gasket there too - DONT break tang off as some fixes show being done
3) pull trans and reseal shaft on bench

will try the first two and see how it goes. I wonder if you can get behind the inside end of the shaft & push it out the hole w/o removing valve body. I also dont know if that'll make the low band "fall apart" & then not be able to reassemble - dont want to go down that road.