Yep, that is the Kid's Spot.. and my granddawg Belle. His transmission was toast, and he brought it down so I could walk him through it because he'd never been in one before. I told him he'd figure it out. Once we pulled the rear cover he said, "Oh, I see. Nothing to this, is there?" We put in new gears, bearings, seals, and shimmed it.
Yeah, degreasing is a must and not terribly glamorous. I *hate* getting dirty.
An old airplane mechanic took me under his wing and showed me the ropes when I was a pup. I've always tried to pass it on to kids, and was the main trainer for apprentices back when I was in model shop. Joe is remarkable.. I'd never have had the cajones to rip into a project like that when I was his age.. and he *would* have gotten it done, eventually.