Technical Banjo rear pinion backlash

setting the pinion backlash on my 36 banjo after replacing the ring and pinion. Specs call for .003 to .008 of backlash. Im right at .008 on my dial indicator. Would you go with this or should i try for something in the middle, say .005? This is my first one so, wanna make sure its right and wont have any problems
Thanks

 

Thats what Vern says. Seems like an awful lot, normally we'd shoot for .007ish at the teeth on the ring gear. Measuring .008ish at the pinion would translate to much much more on the ring gear, right? Can you slip a hub on the axle and see how much freeplay you have?
I just got my pinion bearings and the carrier bearings are on the way so I am watching your progress with great interest, I'll be doing the same next week.

 

How do you measure it at the teeth on the ring gear with the diff ***embled? Ive already set the carrier bearing preload and the pinion preload. I thought this was the only way to check backlash, the slack between contact of the pinion and ring gear. Im a newbie at this so bear with me

 

Talked to dennis lacey. He said .008" backlash is perfect. Just gotta tear it down one more time, put the new axle seals in and its done

 

.008 is correct max, and your measurement technique is exactly as called for in the instructions. Ford's comment on this is "Too much backlash between the gears causes tooth breakage, too little causes objectionable growling noises."
I think this will be fine, but would feel a bit finer in the middle of the spread. I just did a quick search and found these sizes available... .003, .005, .007, and .009...at C&G Ford parts. Standard gaskets are .009-010 or so. Don't know what's in yours for the test, but likely you could throw in some combo of these (on both sides, of course) and screwitalltogether a tad tighter.
(edit...stock gasket can shrink just a bit when tight. I've never needed multiple gaskets as with the adjustment set noted above, and suspect that a stalk of several would thin out a bit more than a single. So, adjust cautiously, torque it all down, and recheck the lash just as you did before. This is almost certainly over-worrying!)

 

Can someone tell me how to check backlash on an early ´32 banjo ?
Can’t find answer in the Vern book or on Santaanita’s rebuild tech.
Thank