Rob, I think the new thrust bearing (thrust pad if you prefer to call it that) is a full circle. That is the reason it has to slide on from the free end of the shaft. To get access to a free end of the shaft, the engine and clutch have to be removed first. Removing the engine is the easy part, just 4 bolts and the speed control cable. However you have to split the clutch or remove it from the engine's output shaft. Deejay is recommending splitting the clutch rather than sliding it off the engine - a number of people have reported difficulty removing the right side of the clutch from the engine shaft, due to rust on the shaft, so Deejay's way should be easier than mine would have been. Then you still have to remove the other half of the clutch from the drive shaft, to get a clear, free end of the shaft to slide the thrust pad over.
This is all easy stuff unless the left half of the clutch is rusted onto the drive shaft. If that happens, it gets a bit more difficult. Even so, it is an easy repair as these things go, not one that needs an expert.
