Sorry for the delay. We had youth camp this past week and I was unable to make any progress.
I have the diff assembled, but cannot report on how it all turned out because I have not run it yet. I still need to plumb the brake lines and chase down some smoke from what I am hoping are bad valve stem seals. Overall, I liked the quality of the Ratech kit and it had everything I needed in it.
In reassembling I will note a few difficulties so anyone else attempting this (or just reading/following the thread) can benefit from: I tried installing the axle seal without a seal driver and wound up damaging it. It was only $4 at a Oreilly's, but save yourself some time and money and use a seal driver to get it done right the first time. There were some reviews of the Dorman axle stating that it was too short and as a result the c-clip was impossible to install. Mine was short as well. I had to drive it in pretty far and tap the c-clip in because it was a tight squeeze. Finally, getting the shims, bearing cups, and case in at the same time is very difficult. I started by measuring the factory shims (one solid piece on each side) and then creating a stack close to their thicknesses to match. They did not want to go in, so I pulled about .010 out of each side and it went in a little easier... but it still needed some convincing. I measured the bearing preload and it had increased by about 8 in-lbs. It was my understanding 7in-lbs was the desired amount, but I left it as is and proceded to check the backlash and wear pattern. It was a little tough to see the wear pattern (maybe I used too little paint??) but it looked alright. I buttoned it up with a new U-joint because one of the bearing cups was missing a needle bearing.
I'll try to remember to report once I drive it to report any noises and general operation.
