[cwcarpenter98]

Yes it can, just make sure you park at a steep angle, or jack up the rear end. That makes all the gear oil go to the front of the trans so you don't spill any out. When I first did it with my 3 speed OD, (same trans as you, but with a Borg Warner overdrive unit in place of the tailshaft) I did not have the back end up high enough, so some gear oil spilled out. The second time, I parked on a small hill and didn't have any gear oil spill out.

Also, if you are just swapping the driven gear, you can pull the speedo bullet out without disconnecting the speedo cable. Makes it quicker and easier. If you do it this way, put the driven gear back into the speedo bullet before you put it back in the trans.

Hope that helps!