The puller isn't supposed to trash the bearings...... but, yes, it does happen.

Since the only thing you are changing here, is the bearings on the pinion, re-using the same shims should have you damn close to where it needs to be. If you don't have a pinion depth gauge to use, just make damn sure your pattern of gear mesh is correct. (pics in FSM)

 

Yep I found a good write up on dodge talk and pirate 4x4. I just have no idea how I'm going to get the pinion nut to the correct torque. I think I'm going to use the pipe wrench. But I simply CANNOT afford a torque wrench that goes up high enough for the pinion nut. I've got everything else figured out aside from the in lb torque wrench and the pinion nut

 

Two bolts, and a torque wrench.

It's more about rotational torque of the pinion gear itself though..... specs for that are in the FSM. Just need a 1/4 inch torque wrench, which no one seems to carry locally......

 

Harbor freight does I don't know if I would trust it to be accurate though. Plus my socket for the nut is 1/2. How do i get it to 1/4? How are those adjusters torqued exactly? I bought the tool off of summit but it doesn't say if I just put a ratchet drive in there or a socket over the outside. It seems like setting the carrier bearing preload is going to be a real b*itch. I'm really not looking forward to this project. Plenum gasket is one thing, but drive trains are a whole other monster I wanted to keep away with a 10 ft pole

 

Not trying to be a ***** but it really sounds like you don't know what you're doing. Setting up a rear end is extremely critical where thousandths of an inch will make or break a proper setup. The proper tools are necessary here. Setting backlash with the adjusters is no guessing game. I highly suggest you stop what you're doing, read the FSM procedure 20-30 times, read a bunch online then come back with questions.

 

Nope, I really don't im also hoping my hot rodder neighbor will be around to give some help. I understand how to do it, so I think, I'm just a little foggy on how some of the tools work, being as I'm on vacation and I don't have any of them in front of me, and getting some of these tools is proving difficult that I'm going to have to improvise. Prime example a large cheap pipe wrench from harbor freight to hold the pinion. As well as my pinion nut socket is 1/2 drive, but the only in lb torque wrench I can find that goes low enough for the pinion pre load is 1/4. As far as I know they don't make a 1/4 to half adapter. For the fsm, it's saying for the adjusters to be torqued to 75ft/lbs, but I read some places to torque them to 150? These are the diys I've been reading online:

http://www.*********.com/forums/show.../topics/276136 won't let me put in the dodge talk link... but it's to rebuild the trac lok, but has some good info on it

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup/

 

You should fab a yoke holder with bolt spacing I believe 3 1/4" out of a piece of angle iron to hold the pinion. I don't know of a 1/4" to 1/2" adapter but just stack a 1/4" - 3/8" to a 3/8" - 1/2" and voila...

Follow every last step in the FSM to a "T". Chrysler engineers wrote this stuff. Heed caution what you read online.

 

Wow I feel like an idiot for not thinking of that oh my god... but yeah I found the fsm for free online and I've read through it a couple times. It makes pretty sense. Im just worried about having the incorrect pinion depth, at least backlash and carrier bearing preload you can reset easily enough. I'll be tearing into this as soon as I get home friday. Just want to get the axle stripped for the night, that's my goal. Then just save setting up the axle for all of saturday

 

Pinion depth is set by shims behind the larger (inner) bearing. In order to add/remove shims, you need to take the bearing off/put it back on. Possibly several times....... Starting with what you have on there now should put you in the ball-park. I would be REAL tempted to measure CURRENT pinion depth, and see where its at, and try and put it back as close to the same spot as possible. (pinion depth gauge required.)

 

I'm going to use the stoc shims and see what kind of pattern that gets me. Turns out I don't have access to a press so I'm not sure what to do about that, thought my neighbor had one. I knew this was going to be a difficult project, but I'm starting to regret taking this route. But I busy couldn't justify spending 900 on a new axle with that garbage trac lok in it, where for much cheaper I could do this. But not have the money to have it professionally installed. Looks like I'm up the creek pretty far with this one