When I had mine off two weeks ago, I didn't have to remove the belt guards. It would have been much easier to put it back together if I had, but I didn't. As long as you have the back wheel off of the ground, this is an easy thing. The spacers are really no big deal, get a piece of cardboard and draw a diagram, then put the spacers in the proper positions on the cardboard. If you have to, put pins in to hold the spacers in place. Fortunately, I have enough garage space to just lay them out in the order they came off. My back axle has a hex head on the bolt end, so I can't help you on the drift pin.