Installing bearing / upper control arm in 325i e36. Questions!!

[Magice]

So last week me and a friend installed a new axle and trailing arm / bearing into my car. Now we missed the cclip, so I guess it's new bearing time. The trailing arm had no bearing in it, so it was easy to put in, but now I'm stuck with the task of pulling the old bearing. I also need to replace the upper control arm. I really want to take my time with this job and do it properly so I have a number of questions to ask.

Please note I have read all the guides, I just don't seem to understand certain things.

Bearing:

1. Which way does the bearing go in? tapered side up on the trailing arm?

2. Is it okay to attach pullers to the hub to get it out of the trailing arm?

3. I heard something about using a washer.. where does this come in, I see nothing about it in the manual

4. How can the bearing be safely pressed into the trailing arm? I might have access to a press, but if not, I need a safe way.

5. To press the hub in, is it okay to use a metal pipe in the center and pound it in with a hammer? If not, what are some other ways? I also heard about supporting the inner race how is this accomplished? I don't understand


6. Are there any tips on removing the axles? When we did it the first time (we needed to change the axle), we probably stripped every bolt. What is the best way to get in at them not to strip them?


Upper control arm:

7. To get this out, we thought it was too much of a task at the time. Apparently the diff needs to be dropped. To drop the diff, should I just follow one of those diff swap DIY's?


Sorry for the wall of questions, but I've searched and it still leaves questions unanswered. I really want to do this whole thing properly.

All replies appreciated!