I am not a hard-core mechanic, but an not a total idiot either. I need to grease my Bravo and wonder how tough it is? Other than the bolts, shifter cable and speedo tube, it there anything else I need to watch for when dropping the lower unit? Does the rubber felx. tube/cover come off with the unit itself or do I need to disconect that some how??

Any help would GREATLY be appreciated.

6 bolts, speedo tube and shift cable. Don't just jerk the cable off, it has a release. Be sure the cable inlet is "open" when you put if back on, because it will not accept the cable if you do not. Rubbers seal should stay on the drive. Drive will slide right out, just double check and be sure nothing is hung up. May want to align the motor while you have the drive off. Drive is heavy, so be ready or get someone to help.

how does one align the motor???

First you need either an old input shaft or an alignment tool. You have to get the tool to slide in and out freely. This is done by either raising or lowering the nuts on the 2 motor mounts bolted to your stringers. Be patient, it can be a pain to get right.

A little trick I learned when aligning my motor was to use an old belt around a crank pulley hooked to a chainfall to let the motor "float". Get it lined up then adjust your nuts accordingly. Also, remember that your gimbal bearing moves up and down and side to side. So make sure it is centered when aligning.

Of course the trim cylinders need un-attached. (Don't drop the drive on your foot as a numskull friend of miine did - it's pretty heavy). I know it's not recommended, but the shifter needs to be put in forward to extend the shift cable out of the transom ring far enough to open locking jaws on the clasp in the drive. Reverse process (shift into reverse) for install and make sure clasp closes on cable end when installing. Once it's in the housing in the drive, the cleareaces are tight enough to keep it locked...