Jorge's 1997 Landcruiser rear 9.5" gets an Aussie locker and Nitro 488 Gears
(91 BIG pics loading)
MAY 23 2017

Jorge found a good deal on a used 9.5" 3rd and had it sent to me in a 5 gallon bucket.
If the bucket was a 6 gallon one then it would actually fit like it's supposed to.
Everything needed to do this build....master kit/solid collar/488 Nitro gear/Aussie locker
Even though the master kit comes with a pinion seal, a Marlin eco seal will be used.
Dis-assembly begins.
Bearing caps are removed.
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Now is a good time to install the Aussie.
The carrier bearings are pulled off. So easy with the right puller.
That cross-pin sticks out just far enough to prevent the old ring gear from slipping past it.
Close up.
How a flapper wheel can fix that situation fast.
Remove the 12 ring gear bolts/nuts.
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Tap off the old ring gear. It's a tight fit here.
Slipped right past the cross-pin.
The Aussie will now be installed. Cross-pin comes out.
Minimal wear was noted. All is good.
Spiders and sidegears come out.
The side gear thrust washers(.0748" thick each) will be re-used.
First, a clearance check will be done.
Aussie Locker.....Made in USA. Rochester, NY. Thank you Cora for keeping the Aussie alive and well. A solid product proven strong.
Leaving out the drive cam gears will allow us to measure the tolerances.
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.003~.004" was measured in all 4 locations.
Now the Aussie can be fully assembled. In years past, the 4 springs used to be a real tight fit to get into the slot but now they slip in like butter.
Thank you Aussie machine shop for opening them up a few thou :)
The gap was measured at .162"
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Nitro 488 ring is tapped in place.
Only need 4 bolts tightened to secure it for now.
The pin will hit the tooth if it ever needs to be removed. If this 3rd were transferred to a semi-floater then this would be a problem.
A 1/4" die grinder could be used....
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In small increments, remove a little more material each time.
The key is to remove the absolute minimum to clear the cross-pin.
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Just a little at a time.....
The absolute best at precision removal is the dremel tool FYI.
Success.
Minimal loss of tooth. This is the procedure recommended by Aussie.
The removed material is on the toe end.....almost no contact from the pinion tooth in actual use.
The crosspin bolt has blue loctite and 20 ft/lb.
81 ft/lb and blue loctite on all 12 bolts.
Both carrier bearings are tapped in place.
The center carrier is now complete.
Working now on the pinion end....let's try .056" based on past results.
Using the press and and my favorite widget to press the pinion bearing on.
The old pinion is removed. Kind of filthy so the outside of the 3rd will be high speed wire wheel.
New races are tapped in.
The high speed wire wheel really did help clean up the outside. Pinion is installed at this point.
Now the differential carrier can be installed. Bearing caps are put in place.
Wheel adjusters are tightened up and backlash is put in spec.
Drive side....not bad but is a touch shallow here.
Coast....agrees that it is indeed shallow.
Drive side..... reverse painted.
Coast.....reverse painted.
drive on pinion tooth...comet tail is tucked in to the root.
same on this tooth.
Comet tail is easily seen tucked in.
This is an easy tweak....just add .004" to the depth. Pinion is pressed out here.
Pressing the bearing off.
Change the pinion shim to .060" and finish that coffee.
A lot of monotonous operations but somebody has to do it....press the pinion bearing back on.
What I see when I don't finish my coffee. Drive side. Looks excellent.
Coast looks nice.
Drive...reverse painted.
Coast....reverse painted.
With depth now established, now the solid collar can be situated. It took only 3 tries to find that perfect shim thickness.
Marlin collar is now parked in place.
tap tap!!
All of my installs see 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper....just in case.
Most of my installs will see a generous amount of aluminum based anti-seize on the threads...and the contact bottom of the pinion nut.
Makes it easier to get that pinion nut tight with less lost torque due to friction/resistance. I have 12 in/lb of pinion preload.
DING. This end is complete.
Guts are put in place and bearing caps seated properly.
70 ft/lb on all 4 bolts.
Measuring the Total Preload on my back.....19 in/lb start torque.
Backlash is checked and logged in 20 places. Minimum backlash was found to be .0065"....just perfect.
Last thing to do....lock tabs with blue loctite and 10 ft/lb.
Basic data is etched on the ring gear.
A snapshot of the install notes.
The black G2 box is stuffed with packing paper in just the right places and acts as a very effective shield for the bottom of the double box.
Ready to go to the Czech Republic. :)