Not having the hitch on it is probably what broke the housing in the first place. The three bolts that go through the hitch are a little longer than the other four. When you tighten the longer bolts down onto the other holes, or don't put the hitch back on, they are long enough to bottom out in the hole and break the casting.
I realize that having broken holes in your rear end isn't as cool as if they weren't broken. Seriously, all the cover does is keep the fluid in. If it's doing that, then you are worrying for no real reason. I think I can speak for everyone here when I say; we won't tell anyone that your rear end is broken and if it doesn't leak it will probably never give you any trouble.
All you really need is an empty housing, HOWEVER I think that buying an empty housing and transferring parts is a colossal waste of time. You don't actually need a pump (transmission) you just need the rear end. I think most often you find them for sale all together. Take your time and look around, someone will have a good one for $25.00 to $50.00. You can switch them out later.
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