Trumpeter Seawolf RC Build--question

I've had my troubles getting my reappopriated RC car parts to turn a shaft through the nearly 1/2" WTC lid: Aside from the motor's shaft being smooth, it's short (1/2" ), no teeth on the end, and it's so narrow that drilling a pin hole for a gear to mount on the shaft and grab another wheel for gear reduction seems impossible. Maybe my inexperience talking.

No budget for a bigger motor yet. I think I'll salvage Wally-boat gears (4:1 I think?) to slip onto the shaft after I've fixed things in-position. Wish that shaft had teeth, though, so there wouldn't be as much slippage.

I know I could probably get a bigger motor--either with predrilled shaft holes, or wider so I could do the drilling and add a cleavis. I know sections of ink-pen tube are also handy in many places (thanks Nemo! ) especially when the shafts have teeth in opportune places.

I really have two questions:

1) what alternate ideas might I try for now, since I don't have a budget to upsize the motor yet?

2) What's available out there? Anybody want to tell me about the pretty-good motor they're using? How much did it cost? How do you get the power from the motor to your prop, if you started with a short-shaft motor?