This washer was locked up. This is my first adventure to this depth with this model. I found the brake pads were cracked and loose pieces floating around in the assembly. I decided to replace the brakes and bearings. I layed the unit on its back and went to work The new brake is a sealed unit. The brake assembly has a spline gear that goes over the shaft before the threads of the brake assembly meet the threads to thread into and the shaft is just off center enough I can not get the brake assembly to thread on. Any ideas short of taking off the tub and removing the shaft the tub sits on from the transmission so I am able to manipulate the shaft from the transmission so I can thread the brake assembly on?

Thanks for any suggestions,
Dan