DIY Gearbox Rebuild Questions

["Paul Novak" <spammit@domain.elided>]

I've got the gearbox apart from my '73 spider and I have a couple of
questions (sad history is that I underfilled the transmission after
replacing the clutch (ouch!) and drove about 75 miles before horrible
bearing noises started to come from the gearbox).

1)  As I understand it, to replace a gear bushing, you have to press out the
old one, press in the new one and then hone the new one to fit.  Should I
take this to a machine shop or can I do it (or any part of it) myself?

If I take it to a shop, what is the correct bearing clearance?

If I try DIY, then how?  (Maybe if you have to ask, the answer is don't
try...)  I can probably figure out some way to press it out/in, if I can
find the right size punch or substitute.  But I've never honed a bearing.
Can I use something like a brake cylinder hone and hone it until it fits?

2)  I am obviously not the first one to open the gearbox since it left
Italy.  There is a working backup light switch in the clutch housing and
another, and non-working one near the shift lever.  I don't think it came
that way from the factory, someone must have replaced either end at some
point.  In the center case around three of the four holes for the main and
lay shafts bearings there are brass *foil* strips that I guess are some kind
of shim that seemed to be there to improve the fit between the outer shell
of the bearings and the case.  I am planning on reusing these shims since
they must be there for a reason.  I guess that someone decided that the hole
in the case was a little too large and put the brass foil/shim in to tighten
it up?  Any thoughts on this issue?

3)  All of the bushings on the main shaft are clearly toast, the mainshaft
had brass colored bearing material smeared all over it, but it cleaned up
nicely with a gentle scrubbing with a 3M pad.  Surprisingly, the ball
bearings on the input shaft look fine.  The roller bearings inside of the
fifth gear don't look so good though.  There is quite a bit of play in them,
I can *rock* the gear back and forth on the shaft.  Do I replace just the
roller bearing cage or do I replace the sleave that slides over the shaft
which functions as the inner race for the bearing?

Thanks in advance for any help.  If I can successfully pull off a gearbox
rebuild, I will feel like a true Alfista!

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