rear axle and brake ?'s

[drivethechevy]

i finaly finished up with my other projects i had goin and i am getting back to workin on my 68 k10, and i have a couple questions i need answered so i can direct my net paycheck in the right path

first-i just pushed it back into the shop and i noticed a new clunking sound coming from the rearend, does anyone have any ideas of what might be making the sound, its a low thud and it only seemed to do it when i was pushing the truck in reverse?

second-i have to determin what the front axles ratio is so i can figure out if the rear is matching or not, and if not i am going to replace the rear axle, would any gm rear axle bolt right in in the place of the old rearend?

and last- the rubber brake hose's going to the rearend and to the front axles are all rotten, are those hose's available at parts stores like napa or orileys, and is there a better replacement out there ?

thanks in advance guys
nate