Unless I'm blanking out, you should not have to remove any of the suspension to flip the axles. Remove the brake drums and then the brake assemblies. You have to cut any brake wires which go into the axle. Then just unbolt the axle u-bolts, and proceed with the "flip".
The more I think of it, I guess you just leave the drums on the brakes and take the whole brake assemblies off.
If you were to take off the suspension, it would definitely be worth finding the money for the wet bolts. Check around, some places sell the kits a lot cheaper than others, and there is more than one brand of kit. Dexter, Mor-Ryde, etc., but they all sell the same common size. I want to say the last kit I bought was less than $100. Maybe that deal is gone. This does not include a rubber-damped equalizer, that's a bit more money for sure.
