School me in the ways of ring and pinion setup

axeman said:

It's been a few years since I've done any, but here's a few things that come to mind:

The corral has a good article.
8.8" Gear Installation

It's been quite a while but, Randy's Ring and Pinion always seemed like a helpful source.
Randy's Ring & Pinion


Not sure what differential you plan on running, but I see you are upgrading to 31 spline. If you haven't decided yet, the ones out of Bronco's and Explorer's work really well. Not really sure what years though, probably just not the newer ones.

Repacking a T-lock using the alternating method has worked well for me for at the track. Factory setup is shim, friction, steel, steel, friction, steel, steel, friction, side gear. The alternating method is shim, friction, steel, friction, steel, friction, steel, friction, side gear. If you decide to use the alternating method, you can use a few of the friction plates from your current T-lock if they are in good shape.

It takes quite alot to compress the crush sleeve. You'll think that it's just not working, but you just need to muscle it a little bitmore. I always used my legs, as I do not have air tools. Once it begins to crush, you need to check the bearing preload, and often, because if you go to far, you'll need to start over.

Check the wear pattern before you're done. If it's not correct, shim the carrier to the correct side. You'll need to check the backlash after any changes.

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