That setup sounds different from what I'd expect to see. I have a 1210 and the driveshaft to the front diff got sloppy (end to end movement) years ago and made a lot of vibration noise. It worked its way forward and then there was too much play in the rear splined connection. I centered the shaft assembly and secured it to the front only with a roll pin to keep it centered. That was back in the mid-90's and it's been fine ever since.
I've split my 1210 a couple times and it wasn't extremely difficult. Biggest thing is to make sure both halves are supported very well. On the little 1210 that meant bolting a "kickstand" to the side of the trans housing for the back part and suspending the front from a comealong hanging on a hook in the garage rafter. The front gets really floppy with the wheels being able to turn.
I stripped hood, fuel tank, battery, etc. before splitting it. The electrical was mostly plug-n-play IIRC and hydraulics were banjo fittings.
