Its has been awhile, but I cracked open the rear axel to examine the differential. The pair of axels I have are Willys MB and was made an offer I couldn't refuse when buying the tub. When I opened the case, there was very little if any oil in it and was obvious that they had been sitting awhile. I removed the spindles and they seemed to be in great shape!
I then removed the bearing caps. Once removed it was pretty clear they were replaced at some point. I labeled them and set them aside. The differential still moved surprisingly, but was VERY much stuck in the case. As the manual suggested, I used a pry bar to slowly and carefully remove it. After soaking it in PB Blaster for a week, I was finally able to remove it.
Untitled by
kneelhurst, on Flickr
Sadly the pinion had huge chunks taken out of it from sheared off screw heads and straps. I found several screw heads in the case. So that will need to be replaced. The carrier or case seemed to be in decent shape, but the gear was welded to it. Most of the bolts were also welded to keep them from backing out. Looks like ill need to replaces all the parts inside the axel at this point. More to come!
Untitled by
kneelhurst, on Flickr
Untitled by
kneelhurst, on Flickr
Untitled by
kneelhurst, on Flickr
Untitled by
kneelhurst, on Flickr