Forgot to update this.
With a total of probably 10 man hours into this - from start to completion, it was a successful project. Not to mention one of the biggest PITA projects the layperson will probably ever do on one of these cars.
Once I got the heater box out, I scraped all the old caulking/sealant off the edges and applied 3M caulk strip to the cleaned surface.
After that, the rebuilt Harrison core was secured back in and then the box was reinstalled. With a few choice swears, of course.
I was also able to get that ever elusive speed nut back on. The trick is to use a little dab of that 3M caulk strip on your fingers - or the nut - whichever you find easier.
Once you can get that nut to turn - even if it's just a half turn - and you feel like it's "straight" on the stud, use a ratchet head wrench to finish it off.
Voila! No holes drilled and no body panels removed.
If I could post pictures, I'd show a detailed depiction of this whole process.
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