Hi Tony,
The belt mod is worth it, esp using the Rowan's conversion kit
I did mine over a year ago and love the results
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=145714
The Rowan kits can be purchased from the UK (I got mine second hand from a member here)
http://www.rowanastronomy.com/productsa2.htm
If you follow the instructions and have the tools ready, you can do it in one day or over two days easily.
Having pulled apart my EQ6 a couple of times, I didn't encounter any difficulties.
A couple of tips: the belts are the trickiest part, takes patience.
You need to wiggle the motor/gear to make sure the teeth and the belt match up.
You need to know/learn how to adjust the worm tension and thruster bearing tension (Astrobaby used to have a great on-line guide, it's gone now, but a PDF version of it is here
http://atm.udjat.nl/stepper/EQ6%20St...wn%20Guide.pdf )
Bo