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You may or may not need a spreader to spread the housing and slide your centre out. Its purpose is to allow for shim adjustment at the assembly stage. It will come out without a spreader. But you'll be fighting the whole way.
The clunk and not being able to put the axle back in makes it sound like a diff gear has dropped out of place - as in a centre failure. Does that even happen to sals diffs?
Found the little sucker!
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment...1&d=1407746808
It is the rear output shaft from the transfer case, it has been brutally twisted and then snapped.
You may also note, that it was at the other end of the prop shaft to which I was working on.
I had a mechanic mate stop by after work on his way home and helped me nut it out.
Turns out when we checked the prop shafts were spinning last week, my dogman may have been imagining things. Oh well, at least I have learnt how to dismantle the diff and it gets new oil...(very tempted to upgrade the axles and put a locker in while it is all open)
Oh and yes, I will be checking the front output shaft.
Thank you all for your input and help. Had we eliminated everything properly, I'm sure we would have got there in the end!
BadCo