Broken Flex Plate

[justinburnett]

Got my truck a couple of weeks ago, and of course, about the time I got it home one of the teeth on the flex plate broke off (among other problems I found on the way home)! I knew it would need replaced but I thought maybe I could limp it for a bit while I saved some money to have it replaced. Now it sounds like I lost a piece of the next tooth too. Looks like it needs done ASAP. Problem is I've never dropped an auto trans before, and never anything on a 4x4, so I'm kinda clueless about how to go about it. I can't afford to pay to have it done, so I was wondering if someone here has done it and could point me to some good instructions, or at least let me know the hard bits that I should be ready for or the general outline.

Someone told me you can do this without actually removing the transmission but I don't know if that's really plausible.

Also, where would I get a good deal on a new or slightly pre-owned flex plate?

Thanks for the help!