Thanks for the guide. I honestly feel like I got a new Mac. I installed one of iFixit's hybrid 1TB SSD (SSD with backing HD). My Mac was unusable and painful to use it was so slow. Now it's like brand new.

Removing the battery connector was hard to do with finger force alone, I had to entice it with a flat head screw driver. Getting the full iFixIt toolkit gives you all of the tools except the spudger which really could be improvised with something else.