Quick update on the gear situation.
I took the axle housings to Davis Race Car in Madison, OH to have Jason take a look at them, just to set my mind at ease. After checking the backlash on both the front an rear, they were BOTH within spec. The front was .006 and the rear was .007. The patterns were acceptable. Great news!
My great news was short lived.
While I was there, I wanted him to replace the rear pinion yoke with a stock flange, so it would mate with my rear drive shaft. Once he removed the yoke and started tightening down the pinion nut on the flange, the pinion quit moving. Which means there is either no crush sleeve in the pinion, or it was over tightened prior. We hadn’t even started torquing down the nut enough to even start to crush it, had it been intact.
So rather than take any chances, I decide to leave them both there, have them each disassembled and the pinion checked. The gears were fine, they will not be replaced, at least not at this point, unless he finds something else. Plus, I’m going to have him replace the inner seals while he is in the front.
I have really broken the budget on this mod, I think I’ve pretty much shattered it. LOL!
BUT, I am still ahead of the game had I gone a different direction (i.e. new housings, etc.)