How does this pattern look?

 

very hard to see, get the yellow paste

 

That was anti-sieze, guess it doesn't photograph well.
Are these any better?
I can do the yellow tomorrow.

 

Pinion is too deep. Take about .003 out of the pinion shim. Try to get some real gear marking compound.

This is a new gear, right?

 

It is a new Motive set I bought from a board member.
I took about .004 off the pinion shims. Does it still look deep to you?

 

And the coast side

 

Just a little. Maybe about .002 more and it should be right where it needs to be.

 

I would leave it like this, it will migrate outwards as you put power on it., You ARE pulling a pattern whilst turning the pinion and dragging the ring gear right?

 

Yes Twin turbo, I put as much load on it as I could. I used 2 pry bars on the posi as a friend rotated the ring gear by the bolts.

 

I use an axle to turn everything against the pinion bearing preload. It's much easier to turn and gives a more clear pattern. If the pinion bearing preload is set correctly it will give plenty of resistance to make a nice pattern on the ring gear.

 

Well, If Big Gear Head and Twin turbo can't agree I just don't know what I'll do! (Kidding )
What would the theoretical difference be between dropping the pinion .002 and leaving it where it is now?
I know pattern reading can be a little subjective, and given the fact that these guys are working off of pictures, I'd have to say it's pretty darn close. Of course having two board members that I hold in such high regard disagree over such a small discrepancy leaves that inkling of doubt that can drive a man to drink!
Seriously though, I can't thank you two enough for all the help you have given me on this build. I have learned a ton about something that used to really intimidate me. If either of you is ever in Carlisle I owe you a dinner!

 

What I see is a sharp line at the root of the drive side and a slight taper toward the root at the end of the pattern. It shows much more in the first picture in post 5, but the second picture looks pretty good. It's hard to make a decision when you have patterns that don't agree.If you want to leave it like it is it probably won't hurt anythng at all. I like to go too far in one direction and then too far in the other direction to see just what the pattern looks like, but if you have got tired of changing shims then call it good enough.

 

I think what happened there is I marked four sets of three teeth, when I turned the gears to take pictures one or two of the sets may have run across the pinion without preload and messed the pattern up.