Tanner's Hi-Pinion Front gets Nitro 488 and ARB RD132
(57 BIG pics loading)
JULY 7 2016

Tanner's front hi-pinion in his 1996 TLC is getting Nitro 488s, RD132, master install kit with a .....new 29 spline flange and a solid collar.
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Front 3rd is secured to fixture.
Open carrier is removed.
Pinion end is now dis-assembled. Taking the flange off.
Pressing the pinion out.
Seal is removed.
Oops...flash did not go off.
Much better...the trick is to remove the old outer pinion race without damaging or destroying the oil retainer next to it.
A large washer cut in two and a plastic bottle cap work amazingly well to do just that.
Oil retainer undamaged.
New race to be inserted.
Tap tap and this end done.
Seated 100% new race.
The large inner race can be hammered in with a chisel but more "indirectly" than the way I used to do it in the distant past. New races and direct contact with a chisel is to be avoided.
Big race is 100% seated.
Now onto the pinion itself....starter shim will be a .0775" oem shim.
Press on the new Koyo bearing and shim with the 12 ton HarborFreight press.
Impact down the pinion nut til some resistance is felt but not so much that the flange becomes hard to turn. This is only for a paint test so being exact is not critical.
Now onto the ARB carrier end of things...surfaces are checked for burrs/high spots and all appears fine.
I was able to not have to use the press and tap the Nitro 488 ring down just fine here.
Carrier bearings were pressed on and it was very convenient to also tighten the 10 ring gear bolts to the specified 70 ft/lb.
This end is done.
ARB is loaded in place and the wheel adjusters are carefully meshed in the threads.
The 2 bearing caps are snugged up and backlash is set with a small amount of actual bearing preload.
Paint test reveals that the perfect slight deep condition that I like has been achieved. Favors the root and slight toe.
It's an added plus when the coast has the pattern favoring the toe also. The drive and coast patterns are "synchronized" and that does not happen all the time.
Drive, reverse painted. Looks great.
Coast, reverse painted. Nice.
Drive....comet is in the middle.
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I noted the pinion was less than .020" from the ARB just before I removed it so now is a good time to use the flapper on it.
A flapper wheel takes off the material with minimal heat.
A high speed wire wheel cleans up the burrs on the edges.
A snapshot of the ARB instructions on where to drill the hole.
The 7/16" hole I drilled ended up in nearly the same spot.
The solid collar can now be installed. Took only 3 times to get the shimming right.
A high speed die grinder opened up the splashguard hole enough to slip over the larger 29 spline pinion shaft.
The die grinder operation only takes about 5 minutes or possibly less.
The rubberized seal is check for fit....plenty good on the tightness.
Seal is tapped in place....garter spring is verified to not have popped loose, and gear oil is applied on all related surfaces.
Pinion nut is tightened until the target 10 in/lb start torque is reached.
DING!! and pinion end is now complete.
ARB case is now loaded in place...
The 4 bearing cap bolts are torqued to 70 ft/lb.
Backlash is adjusted a pattern is painted and, as seen, looks excellent.
The hole is drilled and tapped...copper tube is form fitted.
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Excess is cut off.
The o-rings and seal housing assembly have just been installed. 10 ft/lb on the 12mm bolt.
A tiny Pepboys compressor and a 12v battery are used to run an arb test.
Routing is good.
The copper line is very soft so it can be tweaked to clear the corners to one's own preference.
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Final notes.