I had to remove the rear axle shafts on my 1952 Chevy 3100 so I could replace the outer wheel bearings and oil seals. That went pretty smoothly but when I went to put that rectangular spacer block back in the differential it doesn’t seem to fit. I had no problem slipping the C clips back on the ends of the axle shafts and then I pushed the shafts back out towards the wheels with my fingers but there just doesn’t seem to be enough space to slip the spacer block back in. Do I need to be more forceful or have I done something wrong? I still have the brake drums and wheels off so they can’t be the issue.

My dad always told me, "Don't force it, get a bigger hammer".