Unbolt and remove the calipers and brackets, remove the ABS sensors, unbolt the diff cover and drain the fluid, take out the cross shaft bolt on the diff (it's a very tiny bolt the goes through the cross shaft), remove the cross shaft, and then push each axle in one at a time, while using a magnet to remove the c-clip. Then the axles should come out nice and easy. As for the gear swap, you need to reprogram the computer so that the speedo is accurate.