Did my Dana today. Removed the old cracked no name gear. Installed 4.30 US Pro gear (yes made in the USA) and new Strange 5 series spool. The standard gear uses a 3 series spool. First if someone would do the job correctly for $200 or less it's a bargain. Let me state I'm no Dana expert. This is my 4th Dana. I have worked for over 35 years as a mechanic. Done many 8 3/4, 10 bolt GM, a few 9". Polishing the pinion at the front bearing location was the best 5 minutes spent. This allows the front pinion bearing to slip on. Adding (or removing) pinion shim and preload shim of the same thickness is pretty much linear. There for you can change pinion depth and maintain preload. Adding .005 to one side and removing .005" from the other moves backlash .005". Adding or subtracting .005" on one side only moves backlash about .0025. Changing pinion depth has very little if any effect on backlash once you start getting close. Have your shims laid out and marked so you're not digging through them each time you make a change. Measure your shim pack (don't let me tell you how many preload shims I swapped because I grabbed a .005 instead of a .015"), write it down as you go. The pinion depth tool isn't very accurate. 2nd time I've wasted time using it. Still had to move the pinion shim from .033" to .041". I have slip fit side bearings for mock up of backlash. But the bearings I'm using changed the backlash about .0015". Since backlash was already on the low side the side bearing had to be pressed back off to get it dead on. Strange suggested using a air drill to rotate the pinion when checking pattern. It worked pretty well. I have a hoist so that makes it nice. I do my own stuff because it's fun, I know what my true numbers are, and I'm cheap. Even splurged and bought a zoomy rear cover. The old chrome piece was getting a little rusty. the new part is stiffer, has preload bolts that go against the caps. Looks cool, not sure if it really does anything or not. It is way heavier.
Doug
Doug
