Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I have a Murray made Craftsman 26 inch snowblower with a Briggs 7.75hp engine. I've picked up 1 too many rocks and log (joys of having a 4 year old) and need to replace the impeller and bearing. I haven't puled anything apart or ordered parts yet, but did take a peek at the owners manual. I'm looking for some advice for what I'm getting into. It looks reasonably straight foward, except from looking I cannot see how the impeller seperates from the gearbox. The impeller looks to be combined with a 1 piece shaft that has a key on the gear box end.. Can someone tell me how the impeller shaft will seperate from the gearbox. Will it just slide out or will I have to dissasemble the gearbox to seperate them? Also I had a question on parts availability with the Murray bankruptcy/buyout. If when I go to order parts from Sears and they are not available, is there a Sears to Murray part cross reference available anywhere on the net. Any inputs would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks

Ron