engine and trans. rebuild

i have rebuilt several non-import engines and i was wondering if there any surpises with the early 80's mazda engines i'm not building it for perfomance or anything i just want to be able to go long distances, also i have a 5-speed trans i want to freshen up. i have never opened up a transmission before is this something that be left for a shop or is it something that can be figured out pretty easily

unless your messing with a rotary engine, it is all about the same, i would advise getting a service manual of some sort, ie chilton's or another like, and go by what it says.

as far as the tranny, unless your acustomed to messing with them, it would be better off letting a good reputable tranny shop do it for you, same goes for axles too.

transmissions do intimidate me i just didn't know if a manual would be simpler to operate on, and the engine is just a stock '84 2.0