It's too late now, but propane works great with aluminum. It expands it just enough.... I always bang out the thick or sprocket side 1st, then I have a straight shot at the brake side which is very thin, and often breaks, they are just cast aluminum carriers.......
The locking nut assembly works arse-backwards, What it does is it grows longer and then covers the c clip, then the other part hits the disc brake hub and it PUSHES the c clip portion of the axle away, thus tightening it. Don't feel bad, allot of guys get confused by that locknut, it can be a PITA!
I suggest you clean it all up and once it threads easy, it should make some sense to you. It pulls the axle tight by pushing that clip away from the brake rotor hub.............
Next time, heat up that carrier and it should bang right out. I use to be impatient but it always cost me money so I slowed down, 
Be careful which carrier you buy, some guys HATED that BOSS carrier. IDK if OEM is available but some of the aftermarket ones are built well and from billet aluminum, so they won't break apart so easy. 
has a thread about removing those bearings, Works great for some people, and not for others but heat from propane helps allot!
I put a little grease on the outside of the new bearings (which I freeze overnight) before the 20 ton press pops them in, sometimes they drop right in, and tossing the carrier in the oven at 300 degrees lets them settle in even easier.
Make sure that center spacer is perfect, if the edges are raised or "rolled" up, you let the bearings go for too long and it ends up being a hair short. Then when you tighten it all down, there is stress on the bearing (sideload stress) and the bearings won't last too long...........
Good luck!
DC
All our government does is distract us while they steal from us, misspend our tax $ and ruin our country
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