ajamesc. I would say you have skills which are probably above what most owners have. Not many of us would contemplate stripping a gearbox down and re-building it. Most things I would tackle with my Son but things like fixing a problem he had with his 6 speed box on his Impreza we left to a Subaru specialist.
The other thing which makes a massive difference to what you can do yourself is having a decent sized garage with lights and power.