I put the rear end back together on Saturday. I went over to GTR Friday night to use their bearing removal tool and press but the tool they had was rounded on one side and it didn't work. So Saturday morning I took my grinder and cut the old bearings off. I cut them down so there was just a thin bit a metal left and then tapped them with a hammer which cracked them thin metal. Then I just slid them off by hand. Before I installed the new bearings I clearanced the teeth on the ring gear so I could install the pin. Here's how it turned out.





Then on Sunday I put the transfer case back together, which was a pain to do without a good pair of snap ring pliers. I had to remove a snap ring on the main shaft so I could remove it from the rear portion of the case to reassemble it but my cheap pliers would just bend. The only tool I had that I could spread it far enough with was a pair of small needle nose pliers. So I had Amy use a flat head screw driver to push it while I used the needle nose pliers. Once I got the case back together I installed it back in the truck along with the front and rear driveshafts, the exhaust and the fuel tank.

Everything is now working again. Well except that the amp went out so it doesn't have a radio but that's just how it goes. The truck has been sitting for a couple weeks and I forgot that the amp quit working. It's a 5 channel Sony and is about 11 years old. I'll have to wait for my income tax return before I can replace it with another 5 channel amp though.

I was thinking of turning the conversion part of this thread into a video podcast. Whattaya think Ron? It would be like an hour or two max of me recording you basically just talking the text of this thread, then I'd lay it into a slideshow of the pics you took and put on our YT page.

Maybe, do you have an example I could watch of what you're thinking?

Sorta like this, but with, err, car stuff. Maybe some underscore music if you want. Nothing too fancy, just another way to present the information and get it to the world.

I think that's doable.

I also scheduled my appointment to have the truck inspected for the engine conversion. My appointment is on March 6th so hopefully all goes well and I'll have a BAR cert for it.

So no certificate for me today. Everything was good except that the exhaust exits just before the rear axle which is right above the roller for the dyno. Because they have had the probe fall out before onto the rollers and get damaged they said I had to either extend it back or bring it out the side. So I have to get the exhaust extended and then schedule another appointment to have it inspected again.

Always something. . .

Yes it is but it's okay. On the way home the Check Engine light came on. When I pulled the codes all 4 were for the back O2 on bank 2. It turned out that I forgot to reconnect the harness to it when I put the exhaust back on after doing the T-case. So as soon as the exhaust cools down I'll go plug it in.

Got the exhaust done today and scheduled a new appointment for the 20th.

So my conversion is now BAR certified.