...another question, (you guys are great)
In the midst of my teardown and reassembly, I figured I might as well rebuild the rear-end. Is this just a matter of replacing the seals and bearings, or are there shims that need replaced? I noticed there is a little play (in and out) from the axles. Is it an easy job or should I have a shop do it?
I have a 12 bolt with 2.56 gears behind a 455/TH400.
Thanks in advance

 

If you are putting al of the original pieces back in,you can do it yourself.Put all of the shims back exactly where they came from,so the gear settings remain the same.If you change the carrier to a posi,you will need to check & reshim the carrier,so the backlash remains at .008",or whatever it was before you removed it.If you are changing the gears,then you are getting more involved,and you might want someone else to do it.

Bearings & seals for 1970 12-bolt O-axle:

Inner pinion bearing = M802048
Inner pinion race = M802011
Outer Pinion bearing = M86649
Outer pinion race = M86610
Pinion seal = 2043
Carrier bearing = LM501349 (need 2)
Carrier race = LM501314 (need 2)
Axle bearing = SET9 or A9 depending on brand
Axle seal = 712146 **do not get the 2146 seal,it is slightly thinner**