Australian carrier assembly - helpful hints and traps

[Lynn Eades]

The gasket (part # BB-40350 that goes between the two halves of the rear axle is ).010" (10 thou) or in metric 0.25mm
The thickness is important because it sets the side bearing preload.
There is a list of bearings with Timken and Ford cross over in the other carrier hints thread.

[Andrew Rowe]

Lynn , this thickness varies, because when you do the preload set up , new bearings can require this to be thicker and older more worn bearings will use thinner gaskets, so there is no real given measurement, other than using .010 as a starting point, many times we have used 2 or 3 gaskets together of different thickness to get the required preload. I had a heap of gaskets lasered up , so we have the different ones on hand for the job. Usually set up preload with the pinion out, so you have access to move the crown wheel. Bolt the 2 halves together with 6 bolts try, change gaskets if necessary, try again.

[colin jones]

This is more of an alternative rather than a tip. The rear gearbox mount for a carrier is quite a hard part to find but there you can get one from a ford truck (Not sure which models of trucks have these!) but they seem to be easier to find. They are a bit taller and the bottom holes are a bit further out but is quite easy to cut, grind and weld to make it fit. They are made from cast iron so need to be welded to match. It took me about an hour and a half to change it.

[colin jones]

Sorry I didn't take any pics during but here's what it looks like after the change and all mounting points match the original one. A coat of paint and it will be hard to tell the difference.
Colin.