[devon2576]

So due to the outrageously priced new OEM rear diffs, after tarnishing my pinion bearing (which led to the teeth on the pinion get all torn up) I chose to rebuild the rear end myself with a full kit that includes bearings, seals, and a new ring and pinion gear. I dissasembled the rear diff today while I wait for new kit, and I removed all bearings, seals, and both gear. I noticed one shim for pinion, and then for the ring gear I either lost one or it only had one and not two (one on each side). This left me with a few questions in my mind. Would a kit typically come with new shims or would i have to buy a kit full of different shims to try and set it up right? will the old shims work with a new ring gear? if i can buy these shims where can I purchase them? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks

 

[retro]

It depends on the rebuild kit maker... but generally speaking, the base shim set should be provided in every kit. That doesn't mean they will be though, certainly not if it is a cheap aftermarket (aka china) kit.

It probably won't be a "assemble it once and run it" affair anyway. Ring & pinion sets have to be set up. Each pair is unique, so the odds that you'll reuse your old shims in the exact locations as they came from are pretty slim. The service manual covers set up very well... and assumes you have an assortment of shim thicknesses on hand, as a shop owner or a dealer would, and that you have the paste compound for centering the pinion teeth as well.

I hope it goes well for you.... take your time on it.

 

[fishfiles]

there are no shim kits , there were 25 different sized shims , a bunch of sizes are no longer available , they range in cost from $8-10 each , sounds like who every rebuilt the rear end before you left the shim out --------- you can get a differential ready to go for $575 , if you don't have the tools to rebuild it and you rebuild it and it doesn't work out , $575 might not sound that outrageous