Been there, done that
I'm not sure it's comparable, but my 00 Exploder with a 4.0 SOHC misplaced it's transmission a few months ago. I was in cruise at 65 and suddenly the engine revved. I hit the brake and shut off the cruise control, hit the gas and nothing. Gone. Kaput.
I coasted into a park-and-ride and there it sat until towed to the shop. The tranny was toast. No gears forward or backward. It did coast nicely, but that sorta defeats the purpose of a motorized vehicle. It was not a mechanical issue but a controller someplace inside the tranny.
Bought a used one with 50K on it, and for a total bill of 9 bills, all better.
Since then, of course, I've had the famous disappearing reverse in the "new" transmission. Backing up and it felt like I'd hit a car. Next time I tried to go forward there was nothing there. Apparently this is another common problem with these trannies.
Honestly, if I were you, I'd look at spending a couple grand on a new and improved ride. With 180K on that engine, replacing your transmission is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Sorry, not an Exploder fan here.
Yooper Detective