You can examine the flywheel teeth without removing any heavy stuff by dropping the inspection plate at the bottom of the bellhousing and turning the engine with a big screwdriver or a pry bar. If there is a damaged section of the ring gear teeth, it should be very obvious.
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!