Any advice for cleaning up the box?

Do you think i be able to clean this up sufficiently without stripping it further? Spent a few hours with degreaser , scraper and drill with wire wheel on but its taking forever. Problem is room and no electric things take time and come to a stop when battery tools run flat. I reckon my degreaser is weak too ( wishing i hadn't started ).

At this stage should i bite the bullet and remove the axles? Id need to research because not sure how hard or easy it to do but remember seeing a video saying it was awkward to refit axles 

 Ideally it came from a running beetle so was gonna just clean it up but i do need to swap backing plates for brakes....

It will clean up as is for painting but if you want show quality it will need stripping to clean and do the inaccessible bits.

It`s not awkward re-fitting axle`s into fulcrum area. A bit of manouvering until the axle flat fits to both fulcrums nicely. Large circlip back in and away you go. The outer covers with their "daisy" spacers just need the correct number of gaskets fitted to get the correct clearance. Again simple. Too many gaskets and rotation will be sloppy. Too few and will be tight. I have removed refitted many times so if I can do it anyone with a bit of mechanical gumption can...

Don't do as 1 Muppet did on a trike a bloke I know did,customer bought trike all nicely paint then brought it to mate complaining that it wouldn't turn corners!???.turns out the w###nkers that had dragged the trike out of storage and couldn't be arsed doing anywhere near a proper job.sandblasted EVERYTHING! The inside of engine and gearbox had just grey soup where the sand had ground everything to scrap.i sold him a fresh box and case ,and waited to hear what the big angry trike owner had done to the so called professional builders

It`s not awkward re-fitting axle`s into fulcrum area. A bit of manouvering until the axle flat fits to both fulcrums nicely. Large circlip back in and away you go. The outer covers with their "daisy" spacers just need the correct number of gaskets fitted to get the correct clearance. Again simple. Too many gaskets and rotation will be sloppy. Too few and will be tight. I have removed refitted many times so if I can do it anyone with a bit of mechanical gumption can...

Cheers think that's the way I'm going to go had another look at it today starting tonight id removed the rear hub nuts before removing the box !

It will clean up as is for painting but if you want show quality it will need stripping to clean and do the inaccessible bits.

I really did want to clean it up as is but curiosity got the better and it's now getting stripped gearbox oil is already out and all over garage floor 

Always worth replacing the gearbox oil for longevity as many do not,  it breaks down going brown, thick and smelling even worse.

Danny.....  Take a look at my "Birth of a Buggy"  thread in the Members Buggies section . I have just started to photograph and describe how to remove the hub, bearing housing etc to replace gaskets and seals. Will take me a few days to upload the info as I go. The bottom gearbox drain plug is a tapered thread and can be tight. A 17mm allen key makes short work of removal if the plug has been over tightened. Alternatively lock two nuts on the threaded part of a 12mm bolt. The bolt head is 17mm across the flats and will slot straight into the drain plug. Yes.... the gearbox oil can run out of the bearing end and onto the floor. Annoying but we all had to start to learn from scratch. After over 56 years I still learn things every day 

Alternatively lock two nuts on the threaded part of a 12mm bolt. The bolt head is 17mm across the flats and will slot straight into the drain plug. After over 56 years I still learn things every day 

That'll be a 10mm bolt for a 17mm head  Paul, not a 12mm, 12mm has a 19mm head...    

Danny.....  Take a look at my "Birth of a Buggy"  thread in the Members Buggies section . I have just started to photograph and describe how to remove the hub, bearing housing etc to replace gaskets and seals. Will take me a few days to upload the info as I go. The bottom gearbox drain plug is a tapered thread and can be tight. A 17mm allen key makes short work of removal if the plug has been over tightened. Alternatively lock two nuts on the threaded part of a 12mm bolt. The bolt head is 17mm across the flats and will slot straight into the drain plug. Yes.... the gearbox oil can run out of the bearing end and onto the floor. Annoying but we all had to start to learn from scratch. After over 56 years I still learn things every day 

Ill take a look now