Expense and difficulty in replacing tranny in 96 taco?

I have a 96' taco 4 banger 5 speed manual with almost 200k on it. It seems to be having the classic popping synchronizer in 2nd gear syndrome. Anyhow, the cost of having it repaired is fairly high. I did find that a reburbished tranny for these runs around 650 bucks. The simple rear wheel drive, bolt on back of engine configuration seems easy enough to be able to do myself. I am fairly technical and savvy at working on my own truck, but I've never replaced a tranny on it. What is the most difficult aspect of doing this job, and what " surpises" should I look out for? thanks!

The hardest part is the heavy lifting. It is farirly straight forward, but a pain without a lift. You remove the drive shaft, disconnect the clutch line, disconnect the speed sensor, remove the shifter boot, unbolt the bell housing, and drop the tranny on out. You should replace the clutch and resurface the flywheel while you are at it. 2 people can do it over a week end provided you have all the parts on hand.

+ throwout bearing.

+ throwout bearing.

A good kit should have the pilot and throwout bearings in it, as well as the install tool.

it took me and my two uncles 6 hours straight.