Thanks everybody!
Yes, the driver is based on Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo. However, I missed a trick in not giving him a pair of flairs!
The parts were put in a freezer bag along with a good dose of Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner and left for 24 hours. Note that this stuff is powerful stuff and ventilation and protective gloves is a must when using it:
Here the parts have been rinsed of Mr Muscle, cleaned with soapy water and then rinsed with water. Once that was done I was able to carry out some more disassembly. It is now ready for final cleaning up before painting and re-assembly:
Dave