As far as I remember, keep the 2 screws and plates on. I have manual hubs so i dont remember much of the auto. In order to remove the CV shaft you need to disconnect the lower A arm (i think?). One bolt in the front, and two in the rear. Once that is disconnected and lowered (stack up blocks of wood so that the arm doesnt fall to the concrete and ruin the balljoint), remove the 6 bolts that hold the CV to the front diff. then just pull the CV out.
hope this helps