Before trying all of this, I took all the software steps Apple recommends, even wiping and reloading the iPhone. Still needed the vibrator transplant, and now it works great!

Rather than remove the screen, I placed the phone in a small plastic basket and used a chip-clip to hold the screen to the side of the basket. This had the added benefit of catching the small parts I fumbled and saving a couple of rounds of magnet sweeps across the floor trying to find teeny-tiny screws. Thanks for another well done tutorial!

I'm going to try it this way, because the odds of damaging the connector during removal seem greater than the risk of ripping the cable, however, I plan to cradle the phone in the "L" of simple, sheet metal bookend, and secure it using blue painter's tape. Seems more stable.

Loosen the fan standoff from the motherboard using a T6 driver.