Had a difficult a time finding the right seals, but the National 2081s were indeed the ones that fit (Thanks Wrenchbender). I've been referencing parts for all kinds of vehicles for years, but the way they list these rear axles is really confusing. I ended up buying two different types of seals and returning the ones I didn't use.
Got the drums off and, sure enough, the old seals were hard as a rock, and there was gear oil everywhere. It's kind of amazing all of the creepy crawly wildlife species you can find when you take your old truck apart. If things can live inside a brake drum, maybe the earth is a little less fragile than everybody thinks.
I rebuilt the wheel cylinders and replaced the oil-soaked shoes and all the brake hardware. The drums were perfect, and the axles look like they're in good shape. One strange thing was that the right axle came out about 6 or 8 inches and then wouldn't pull out any further. I had to use the slide-hammer on it. The left side slid right out without any resistance. Same thing going back in; I had to tap the right side axle in with a rubber mallet. Hmm. Also, the end of the axle housing on the left side had an oil-splash deflector cup that the inner end of the drum fits up against when it's all the way on the spindle. But, the right side doesn't have one. Could that mean somebody took the right one off? Is it supposed to have these oil deflectors on both sides?
Anyway, it's all back together. I took it for a nice long drive today.
Just wanted to say thanks. The job wouldn't have gone nearly so smoothly without you guys.
