Finally removed the rear axle today. The prop shaft bolts came undone without any trouble at all, a nice change after the struggles with the front axle. I have to say, though, that the special tool I bought for the purpose has been useless, not fitting around the prop-shaft yokes. Brake line screw-in connections were rusted solid, so simply cut the lines again. U-bolts were not going to be used again, so simply cut through them. Et voila, off it came, although I forgot about the remaining oil in there and had to clean a fair amount off the floor.
Best news today is that the replacement refurbished galvanized bulkhead from Ashtree Landrover International is due to be shipped from the UK at the end of next week. Looking forward to seeing that.
Rear axle itself appears, externally at least, in good shape, and should clean up nicely. The differential turns as it should, and so I'm hoping that when I take it out that all the teeth inside are in equally good shape. So far (touch wood) the rear axle and hubs have been refreshingly free of problems.
