I may tackle the disassembly part soon and if I run into a snag pulling the pinion bearing off, I think there is a machine shop or two who have the press. I don't really want to beat on precision parts with drifts and hammers. If it's finessed, I'll have confidence in installing the axle with no worry of latent damage.

The next issue is which gear set to buy. My car came with an 8.2 BOP 3.08 ratio, open. In this Chevy 12-bolt, there seem to be two ratios available in the aftermarket that fit my Eaton posi 12-bolt carrier. I can find 3.08 and 3.42. It seems like Motive, Yukon, Richmond and unbranded are the choices.

Which brand is best? Would I see that much seat of the pants difference with a 3.42 compared with the 3.08? I don't care about 1/10 second on the track. This will be behind an upgraded TH400 and stock low compression 400 motor.