SO... I did indeed do separate blocks on either side of the opening there, then fixed some stuff... Then traded it to my sister for her less than spectacular Isuzu Trooper
I'm very happy my sister has an affordable car that runs like a champ, less happy that I now have a 15mpg rolling paper weight. I do like rolling carelessly around ATL though. I'll still be around reading about how to get the most mileage out of my 6cyl 4x4...