[Ian Hill]

on the "sanded bearing" idea...i have a used but in good shape bearing that is polished (sanded) to be able to tap it on and off for setting the pinion preload and clearance, then once the proper shims are selected i remove the bearing and install a new one. bearings have a high tolerance from one to the next, as long as you use the same manufactuer and p.n. each time you shouldn't run into clearance changes.

Ian