We're trying to tell you how to do it as hard as we can. We're not talkin outta our asses. Some of us have been doing this forty years and more. Here's the scenario. You came here and asked for help. We gave it. Then, you ignored said help and did something completely different. Like @junkyardhero said, we're not trying to be holier than thou. We're trying to help, like you asked.
Understood. This is a self-blame situation. Don't mean to put anything on y'all in the slightest. I, with my lack of understanding coming into this repair, thought it'd be an in and out job. A few days max.
I am leaving the country in about a week and would surely never had taken this on right now knowing all that'd be involved - considering such a tight time budget (and truthfully, money). This is the only reason I've HAD to cut corners, since I really need to get her running at the very least before I leave for the next 7 months. Maybe "fast& effective" doesn't go hand-in-hand though. Sigh.