Everything went smoothly until now. Motor reinstalled with new coupler, but cannot for the life of me figure out how I'm supposed to get the lock nuts into the bottom of the inner transom plate to secure rear motor mounts. Is there a trick or tool I'm unaware of? This is seriously frustrating, no room in there for hands...
any advice would be great

Bravo I assume?

offshore mounts or OEM motor mounts?

either way, you’re going to have to leave some slop in it until everything starts to catch thread. I’ve never had a set of the nuts taken out of the shield, I always just leave them in. Sounds awful trying to get them back in once the engine is installed. You better be an acrobat. Put some painters tape over the fiber washer that goes on top of the transom shield mounts and under the block mounts so they don’t move on you - then it’s just a really long extension and a 3/4” wrench if I remember correctly…..


honestly, I’d just rip the motor back out real quick and reinstall the nuts if you forgot

Well I must be an acrobat, took FOREVER, (like 4 hours on two nuts) but I did eventually get em on there. Wished I had tiny little munchkin hands. No fun, but onto the next stage. Rebuilding the upper unit, quite sure I'll be back here again looking for sage wisdom.
Thanks all, greatly appreciate the advice!

the nuts set in the pocket tape in place before the engine goes in, done

I cross-threaded one of those nuts (I think they are aluminum?) And it was a job by itself to take out and put a new one in. Once the new one was in the tapered bolt found itself home!