The axe itself is great, all I'd say is thicker chain, more powerful (or more protected) motor and it'll tear it up like nobody's business. I think it'll be a tough nut to crack too if you can get those upgrades you mentioned in there too, I think the parts you said to leave are fine as they are, just the worry is the older parts... Definitely too, I'll let you know! Not sure if I'm selling them yet, kind of erring on the side of yes but I'll let you know. I've got another machine to build using drills so it might be ideal to use these!