Rear Axle bearing / oil seal update required

[maxdog]

I'm pulling my 1979 rear axle apart to fix an oil leak . I've found some old references to fixing this problem on earlier axles and would appreciate any updates for a 1979 axle
The problem was an oil leak along the axle shaft onto the rear RH brake . So far I have :
Cleaned the axle casing vent , this slowed the leak but didn't cure it .
Pulled the axle shaft , the Big Snap Ring was an absolute PITA to remove .[ Mickey Mouse engineering worthy of British Leyland on a wet Friday ]
This revealed : an inflexible shaft seal held into place in the axle with some sort hardened grunge ,
The shaft has no wear or pitting .
No big rubber O ring, which should be fitted inboard of the bearing ??
The bearing , which is supposed to be greased and sealed for life , has been exposed to rear axle oil.There is no play in the bearing
My questions are :
How do I remove the seal from the axle case .Is therea trick to this or is gentle applied violence acceptable ?
Is the O ring essential ? If so What size is it , is it a standard O ring or a FIAT special ?
Can I repack and reuse the bearing, there are no obvious grease seals ?
Any hints on replacing the Big Snap Ring
My Fiat is used as a geezer's Summer toy , not a boy racer Ferrari substitute .
Thanks
Maxdog

[djape1977]

oil seal inside axle needs slide hammer to pull out
O ring is important, don't remember the size though
if bearing is not noisy and has no play, just repack with grease

wheel bearing kit comes like this

[maxdog]

Old posts talk about a " Speedy Sleeve " presumably a short thin sleeve which fits over the seal area on the drive shaft to provide a better surface for the seal and also to tighten the seal spring .
who makes Speedy sleeves , how are they sized and ordered
How are they fitted , shrunk onto the shaft ? slid into place and held with Locktite type sealant
Maxdog

[maxdog]

I Googled "Speedy Sleeve " and found that these are thin walled sleeves manufactured by SKF. The provide a new bearing face for the shaft seal .
I have measured my shaft and decided there is no wear on the seal area , just a nicely polished shaft where the seal runs on the shaft . So I will replace the seal , add an O ring which wasn't there when I stripped the axle , repack the bearing and button it up for the summer season
Maxdog