Sounds like its all coming together, apart from some more, blood, sweat and swears from Smokey!!!!
All the best with the CV joint thingy, one thing I never did myself, apart from having a go with a "new" split CV that you just!!!!, had to superglue, put the grease in and clip at each end with cable ties.
Dont know if its me, but you never saw so much black grease everywhere, then trying to get the thing to stick together, aghhhhhhhhhhh.