I picked up the service manual and did a bit of reading. There were a number of special tools listed as being required. I then poked around on the internet and found that really you only need one. The others can be replaced with a blow torch, a piece of rope, a soda can[1] and careful application of several foot pounds of torque. So I ordered the tool for the final drive and the one for the shock cap removal.
A few days later I got the tools. Well, mostly. There was a bit of a mis-ship so I don't have the shock cap tool yet, but it'll get here soon.
To make a long story[2] short I now have the final drive mostly disassembled:
The only thing that I have left at this point is to remove the axle tube and inner seal. The good news is that everything looks to be in very good shape. The only potentially bad news is that proper reassembly requires a set of parallels and a depth micrometer, neither of which I own. If I can't find someone who a set of these that I can make use of then I will have to acquire a set. This isn't a job one should rush.
The information here about rebuilding the final drive has turned out to be extremely useful. None of my manuals actually tell you how to remove the axle tube so you can get at the inner seal.
[1]: Not kidding
[2]: Involving me balanced atop a contraption built out of among other things: the rear wheel, a tie-down strap and a breaker bar
