Rear brakes access
 

I need to remove the plate on the rear shaft where the brakes are installed.
Removed the drum but now I have the plate with 5 wheel studs. I assume I need to remove it so I can slide off the plate with brakes, ... (everything to be taken apart to be overhauled)
I see a kind of 2 ear nut on the center of the plate/wheel/shaft. Do I need to unscrew that? Both unscrew normally? Should I use a hammer theree or a special tool?

Thank you for help and comments.

You have to remove the axle to get all of that stuff off. Remove the center cover from the differential, with an oil drain pan below. Assuming you have an open differential, remove the spider gear vertical shaft lock bolt (be careful, this is a small bolt that likes to snap). Tap out that big shaft with a drift pin, don't let the upper and lower spider gears go flying. At the outer axle, push it in as far as it will go, then from inside the diff, slide off the c-clip at the end of this axle (this is what that big spider gear shaft was locking in place). Then you can slide the axle out. Installation is the reverse. Clean mating surfaces of diff cover and install cover using rtv. Let it set up for an hour or two, then refill with diff fluid. Piece of cake! lol

Thank you for the reply. In thé meantime I came across a YouTube video showing exactly what you describe. Shafts are now out. I just noticed inside the left side there is like a washer hanging around whereas this washer is well centered on the other side.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/camarof...75bc481a14.jpg

I noticed those drop on the casting I side the differential. Should I be concerned about that?
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/camarof...354a85b2cd.jpg

That's one, or more, of your carrier shims/spacers out of place. Is the left side of the first picture the open cover side, or pinion gear side of the diff?

Is it going to get back in place when the shaft is installed?
I am now not sure if it's the left or right. Based on the angle of the shaft, I would say it is the right and hence the left of the picture is the cover side.

The carrier side shims should be a wedge fit between the side bearings and the diff case. Can you make that shim slide around easily? It shouldn't. If it slides freely, then your carrier is being allowed to walk a little bit side to side.

I will check out how easily it moves around.
In the meantime I just realised I have not seen any seal on the end of the axle near the wheel. I have only a bearing on the edge but no seal and no room for one?!?
I had no oil leaks near the wheel though.

Well I tried to push this spacer and it is stuck there.
As for the seals, I finally saw them. They were greasy and I thought they were part of the bearings. I will have new ones installed anyway even though they were not leaking (yet?) they might have been damaged when I slide the shafts in & out a few times...

I would try tapping that spacer back into place. And yeah, if there were no axle seals there, you'd know it by the huge oily mess you would have had on the brakes. Any time you take axles out, you want to replace the seals.
How did the old oil look, a metallic color, or just dirty? No metal bits laying at the bottom of the center section?