Newbie Question On Removing The Shift Lever

I'm removing the body of my 1974 to do a partial rebuild (mostly rust repair). I've been reading a lot but I'll still have some newb questions in the coming weeks...

I'm ready to remove the top of my T-18 so I don't have to lift the tub high enough to clear the shift lever. I haven't opened up a transmission before so I'm wondering if its risky or hard. Will there be any loose parts to watch out for? Does anything need to be lined up to put it back together after? Anything Else?

Thank you

 

There are two ways to do this - remove the lever itself, or remove the entire shift top. I would prefer the latter. Put the transmission in neutral, remove the bolts, and lift straight up. There will be no loose parts. You'll need a new gasket. You just set it back as it came off - line up the forks with the hubs and drop it on. If you remove the shift lever, there is a little pin in the lever housing that you need to make sure and not lose or drop down in the transmission. Study the TSM - there is an excellent drawing of all of this. Very easy.