12 bolt r & p setup

Dragsinger · 11-08-2008, 03:01 PM

Paul,

I will give you my opinion, it makes sense to me and I have used this method successfully for many years. You touched on part of the setup that is important to me, low rotation resistance.

I use a solid pinion spacer [I do not use the factory crush sleeve] Then experiment with shims to have a VERY slight pinion bearing pre-load. Basically just taking the slack out minus a few thousands. It will require taking the pinion in and out a number of times to sneak up on the correct shim pack. As a final step, once you are completely satisfied with the set up, put blue lock-tite on the pinion nut threads.

For side bearing pre-load, again, not much. I use a small, light weight hammer and just tap, tap, tap the side shims in. If I encounter much resistance, take off .002 - .003 thickness and try again. Also, it is important to be rotating the spool/ring gear assemble as the shims are being tapped in. This helps the side bearings become centered in the bearing races.

This link is for Precision Gear http://www.precisiongear.com/setupkits.htm The specific page shows "set-up bearings" the bearings are honed for a slip fit on the pinion, thus, experimenting with shims is easy. On other pages you will find a solid pinion sleeve kit with shins. These are very helpful tools.

About the pinion depth shim, you will find somewhere between .029 - .033 will give a good pattern with .031 - .032 being a common final shim.

I suggest back lash closer than you mentioned, .005 - .006 range is fine. Rarely do I use more than .006.

Pattern marking grease will help you finalize the set-up. Your manuals may show some acceptable patterns, use those as guide lines.

11-08-2008, 03:01 PM	#2
Dragsinger VIP Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Liberty City [East Texas] Posts: 1,760 Likes: 5 Liked 99 Times in 60 Posts	Re: 12 bolt r & p setup Paul, I will give you my opinion, it makes sense to me and I have used this method successfully for many years. You touched on part of the setup that is important to me, low rotation resistance. I use a solid pinion spacer [I do not use the factory crush sleeve] Then experiment with shims to have a VERY slight pinion bearing pre-load. Basically just taking the slack out minus a few thousands. It will require taking the pinion in and out a number of times to sneak up on the correct shim pack. As a final step, once you are completely satisfied with the set up, put blue lock-tite on the pinion nut threads. For side bearing pre-load, again, not much. I use a small, light weight hammer and just tap, tap, tap the side shims in. If I encounter much resistance, take off .002 - .003 thickness and try again. Also, it is important to be rotating the spool/ring gear assemble as the shims are being tapped in. This helps the side bearings become centered in the bearing races. This link is for Precision Gear http://www.precisiongear.com/setupkits.htm The specific page shows "set-up bearings" the bearings are honed for a slip fit on the pinion, thus, experimenting with shims is easy. On other pages you will find a solid pinion sleeve kit with shins. These are very helpful tools. About the pinion depth shim, you will find somewhere between .029 - .033 will give a good pattern with .031 - .032 being a common final shim. I suggest back lash closer than you mentioned, .005 - .006 range is fine. Rarely do I use more than .006. Pattern marking grease will help you finalize the set-up. Your manuals may show some acceptable patterns, use those as guide lines. __________________ Larry Woodfin 471W