wiping my bottom, to drop or not to drop or should I just sub it out? Options

[theleschyouknow]

hello all seeking a little advice or direction.
I recently had to replace a broken clutch pedal clevis pin and while investigating and diagnosing that I "accidentally" made a clean spot in the 40 years of oil and dirt and grime covering my transmission & my tin & my shocks & my engine & my cvs & well you get the point pretty much everywhere on my underside. After several weeks of maybe getting an hour or so a day in on it I've basically got half the tranny cleaned up- muffler and he's are a bitch to work around!

current state


drivers side & bottom end for reference where it started (pass side of trans was actually worse)


I really want to start taking stuff off like the muffler and he's (sure make that valve adjustment a lot easier (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) )and, God help me, I'm thinking how much easier it'd be if I just dropped the trans, but I'm more than a little freaked out about that. I'm a remove and replace wrench at best and my projects generally end up taking much longer than expected. The stories of broken exhaust studs and helicoils and while I'm in theres weigh heavy on my mind.
It's really too hot to drive it right now but my commute is short and I really want to!
Sorry to have made a short story long but here is the crux of my question(s)

Should I just start (carefully) trying to remove as much shit as possible and see where that leads (is there a gulp! smiley)

or

Should I take it in & pay someone else to clean it up. I'm looking at a local place called Zim's Autoteknik who seem to have a good rep working on classic & late model Porsches and all German autos for that matter

Also thinking about ditching the hand scrub with LAs's Awesome Cleaner and going with some kind of all over spray on engine cleaner with a water rinse off any thing I or whoever should take special care around if that's the route?

appreciate any thoughts or advice especially from those who have gotten in over their heads before. thanks

cjl