[CWizard]

Hmmm... don't recall exactly how I did it, but I was able to replace the pads without removing the brake assy or the drive shaft. As best I remember, I had to loosen every nut/bolt on the brake assembly to get enough clearance to r/r the pads. So I suppose this is mostly moral support - keep trying, it can be done.
Be sure to readjust the parking brake once the new pads are in. It's a fairly tricky process, which is detailed in a procedure in the SCOF tech library. Follow it exactly and you'll be happy.
Jerry
SPO 2038