Well I thought I show some pics of my D80 project. I am Finally at the point of putting it back together, I forgot to take any before photos. Well up to this point I removed the old 4.10 LTS and everything else, cleaned and painted the housing, and started taking measurements.


Here, I am thinking about installing a drain for the oil (bottle cap is for size reference but its a 1" plug)


This is a better pic of the valley where I want to drill the hole for the plug. I am not sure if it will weaken the housing, what do you guys think?


Here I ground off the shock hanger. I plan on rewelding it facing to the back and making a bracket later to match the 1st gen style.


I want to weld it to match the one in the left of this pic.


Here is the ARB air locker on the Right with all the new Spicer R&P, bearings & seals, and all the rest of the parts. On the Left is the 4.10 R&P and LST case I removed.

 

Here is where I am at now with my measurements.


When I removed all the old bearings and races, I saved all the shims, measured them, and labeled them


This is what I have to measure (A+B-C=D). A is the thickness from the where the ring gear on the old carrier bolts, to where the shims get pressed behind the bearing. B is the thickness of the old shims I removed, and C is the thickness of the ARB carrier between where the ring gear bolts to and where the new shims will rest. The same measurement as A, only on the ARB carrier. D is the thickness of the new shims.


On the old carrier the measurement I came up with is 1.227" (A). On the ring gear side I had 10 shims total, equaling 0.0825 (B). On the ARB carrier the measurement I got is 1.027" (C). (A+B-C=D) 1.227"+ 0.0825"- 1.027"= 0.2825 (D). I got this measurement using a straight edge and a dial caliper. I don't trust it, so I am bringing the two carriers to the machine shop to be measured on a surface plate and a height gauge. That's where I am up to. This is my first rear end rebuild, so if any of you guys with experience could give me some of your knowledge I would appreciate it.

 

Usually you install the pinon gear to the proper dimension off the center line of the axles. Then you install the carrier with the ring gear using setup bearings & no shims. Now you would check side play & figure how much shim is required to get the proper side play/load. I keep the shims to the far side from the ring gear so it doesn't cause any binding on the R&P. After the side play/preload is set you can start with the back lash. When doing the backlash you will be moving shims from one side of the carrier to the other to tighten up the backlash until you get the proper setting. After you get all the proper settings you remove the setup bearings & install the new ones & do a final check on back lash. Do you have a Factory Service Manual?

The drain plug is a great idea!!

 

I am using this http://www2.dana.com/pdf/5332.pdf Dana 80 service manual (I also have it on CD) along with the ARB installation manual.
On page 3-6 of the D80 manual it explains the +/- on the face of the pinion. I had a +1 on my old pinion and a +3 on my new one. Going by there chart I need to remove 0.002" from the new set of shims going in. Is that what you are referring to?
The problem that I see with the setup bearings is on the ARB carrier, the bearing in the side opposite of the ring gear has a much larger inner diameter. So I don't think the setup bearings will work. That's why ARB is having me measuring the carriers. The setup bearings fit onto the bearing journals on both sides of the carrier, I think?
Thanks on the drain idea. I'm not sure if its going to create a weak spot in the housing and crack?

 

Yes that is what I'm referring to. That would be a good start but make sure you check the new pinon depth installed. A setup bearing is a BIG help because you don't have to press it on & off & take a chance in hurting the new bearing.
Jim