Suburban water heater replacement issue

Yep,StonedPanther has described how this mess probably got put together on assembly line.And his suggestion is what I figured I would have to do.I have replaced air conditioner fan motor on roof,new toilet,and various other plumbing and electrical issues,so am confident I will get it done.Opnspaces,thanks for info on home depot,luckily have one literally across the street from me.Got almost 10 years of fulltime living from this heater,so can't complain too much about unit itself.