Stuck your big hand into a murky black hole, not knowing what you'd find? Daryl, you should write a book or two, they'd sell.
This job still sounds like a total pain in the ***, and if done improperly could cause damage to multiple areas of the car. I'll keep my hoses rerouted and just deal with cold mornings I guess.
'68 428 HO M3 Monster, 4-on-the-floor! Need I say more?