Gm 10 bolt 8.5 carrier bearing preload

albertaborn

Daily Driver
Dec 29, 2015
37
0
0
Just curious what everyone is doing or recommends for setting carrier bearing preload.
 

albertaborn

Daily Driver
Thread starter
Dec 29, 2015
37
0
0
So far I've been doing the hammer shims in till u figure I can really get that many more in there. For curiosity I pulled the pinion out and put the carrier back in with the same amount of shims I had been putting and when I went to spin it it spun 3/4 of a turn.
 

Damon

Pro Stocker
Feb 7, 2005
1,655
1
38
Philly Area
Carrier bearing preload is tough thing to achieve for a home-gamer, but I think you're right where you need to be. At the factory they have a special tool that spreads the rear end housing apart a few thou (those big holes in the cover flange are where the spreader pins go in to pry it open a little).

If you can just squeak that last side shim in place with a few light hammer taps, you're good to go. What you don't want, obviously, is there to be ANY side-to-side movement of the carrier possible.

I've averaged about 1 rear end setup a year for the last 12-15 years just doing it on jackstands on my garage floor (a few more while still installed on the car) so I'm definitely a "home gamer". Once an "old timer" taught me the trick of these things (I was relying too much on measurement, not enough on feel and contact pattern) I haven't screwed together a bad one yet.
 

t01blaze

Amateur Racer
Dec 14, 2011
247
0
0
South New Jersey
Put the carrier in the housing and add shims until you can't get .001" more in by hand. Measure the stacks, and go ahead and get your pattern set. If you want to change the pattern you'll need to remove a few thousands from one side but add it back to the other. When finished, pull a shim from each side and add .002" (.004" total). The last shim goes in with a rubber hammer. Make it a thick one. :)
 

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