Once you have gotten into the gearbox and see first hand how it all functions, you will see how simple they are and all fears will disperse. You will be able to go in and out of that thing in term of minutes and not hours.
I think the gearbox is the simplest of the major components. It is nice to have it on the bench but not needed. I have yet to see a more universal unit than the AMC gearbox. Oh, I better not forget to say, IMHO.