so I took your advice and purchased the go-devil long tail with the 20hp Vanguard (thank you to all those that replied with recommendations and good stories to go with them). Seemed like an up and up deal, and the guy let it go for 700 bucks. A quick cleaning of the carb, some new fuel lines, and wiring clean up, and she fired right up and ran well.

On to the shaft: Prop had no rotational play (12 -2 O'clock that it was supposed to), and the previous owner said he had never touched the prop or adjusted it. Seals were slinging grease like crazy, so I tried to pull the prop. Per the go-devil manual "if you can't get it off, heat it with a torch and pull very hard on the pipe wrench" Prop moved a little, then the shaft sheared! I was able to lock the remains of the shaft in a pipe wrench and turn the prop with another pipe wrench and a 4ft. cheater pipe. Surprisingly the threads in the prop seem undamaged, like they were just full of rust and corrosion.

Now what? obviously driveshaft and seals... Do I go all out and do the bushings too? I assume the motor has to come off the frame to change the upper bushings? Is it difficult to realign the motor on the frame after re-installation?

You don't pull the motor everything goes from the bottom up

CoCo didnt make these motors to come apart easy. That is why they last so long. What I found was cut U-joint in half and cut 3/4 shaft. Then sart over with new parts. Alot less time and headach.

He has to get new shaft anyway. If he has no threads on shaft will not get it out of ujoint. I have tried this before.

No matter what you'll have to remove motor, replacing parts will go so much faster and alot easier to work

Had the same thing happen to my gd just three weeks ago. When it was all said and done i spent 150 including shipping to get it running again.

There parts areen't terribly expensive, i had to change out my shaft and i think it was like 50 bucks or so and new seals, in which to change the shaft you have to remove the motor. Remove the prop, undo the u joint from the shaft, be careful cuase the key way will fall out. Remove the motor, remove the top seal, remove shaft, then remove bottom seal, put it all back together the same way you took it apart in the same order just in reverse. Good luck, got any questions get on here and ask

You do not have to remove the motor to change the shaft. Been there, done that. As previously stated, everything goes in from the bottom.

well got home last night and parts that I ordered Monday morning were on the porch. Crazy fast service!

I would change the bushings as well. Make everything new from the start, that way everything has equal wear. I just changed everything from the u joint down to the prop before the season started. Now I know they are all the same as far as wear is concerned.