Transmission Rebuilding (915)

My 83 SC has been hard to shift into second gear since the day I got it. The car has 50K miles on it, but I am the third owner and have no idea how the original owner treated the car. The guy I bought it from certainly did not mistreat it.

Anyway, I don't know if it is getting worse, or if I am just getting more annoyed with it. Whenever I accelerate hard in first gear, I never know how long I might be coasting before I can negotiate into second.

I suspect that the syncro ring or hub need to be replaced.

Since extracting the tranny from the car is such a pain (but something I am capable of doing), I want to make sure I get everything in the tranny fixed while it is out.

So, to my point... Is it better to entrust the dismantling of the tranny to a pro, or go at it yourself? What parts should be replaced while I am in there? If I do send the tranny off for a rebuild, how much will it cost? Any experiences good or bad?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Thanks. Tim