My bearings came in today. I cleaned the axles then polished the race part of the shaft with fine crocus cloth. I measured the shaft again and am reading 1.8740" with calipers. I checked with a micrometer and read 1.8745". The bearing specs are ID of 1.8722". After I got the bearing oriented on the shaft, it slipped on nicely. No loose motion. Same for the other shaft. I have 2 sets of shafts (2 long and 2 short) and unfortunately one was worn (1.8715") enough to hang a fingernail.
The bearings are going to require a bearing driver to get then inside the axle tube, but I don't want to install then yet till I decide on what to do about the bearing retainer.
In reading about the deflector, the original seals were leather, so some leaking was required. Using modern seals, we don't have that problem, so I don't think I'll need oil deflectors.
