Found my problem. The plastic piece (circled) broke off of the large gear (arrow). There is a 1985 era GE branded Panasonic chassis VCR at the thrift for $10 that I might have to cannibalize for parts. I'm guessing someone tried to force a tape into this machine with it off and kept on pushing until it broke!
I have to say, this machine was easy to take apart. 5 screws hold the front cover on, and 3 screws hold the loading mechanism.