Err sorry, the arrows should be pointing outside.

That axle assembly is trash if the cap and bolts are bent, and the ring gear is chipped. Time for a new one from the junkyard.

 

I think we're gonna be fine with the new caps from Strange. I already had all new parts for everything else. The axle run out and splines are good. We checked the run out before pulling them from the housing. The housing (surprisingly) looks good other than some metal in the bottom of the pumpkin. The new caps have to be machined of course, but the process looks very straight forward.

 

It's really not worth the effort at all. The caps need to be precisely machined to clearance and the bores need to be aligned perfectly. You'd have to bring the entire axle to a machine shop to do it right. The only way you could do it with the axle in the truck is to have metrology-grade indicating equipment and take a ton of very precise measurements and then tell the machine shop exactly how much material and where to take off the caps.

$90 for the aluminum caps (which IMO is bad idea for long-term durability, GM and Chrysler have both had issues with aluminum rear axle components), plus $150-300 for the machine work for the caps.

You'd be better off just pulling a complete 8.8 from a junkyard and putting your new bearings, ring and pinion in it.

 

I already had all the rest of the parts (New: Ford gears, limited slip, tone ring, axle bearings/seals, master bearing kit, crush sleeve eliminator, Yukon Super Shims, brake drums/pads/cylinders/hardware). New caps and a little machining away from a brand new rear end. No sense in paying $4-500 (what used junk yard rear ends are going for around here). This way I know I'll have a solid "new" rear end.

New caps came in today. Very beefy looking. According to Strange:

"No honing is needed, for you will be removing material from the "legs" of the caps. Yes you are reading the directions correctly."

Pretty excited to get this thing set up and back on the road. First time my helper and I have tackled a rear end, but I've got the tools and time. I'm confident we both have the ability to get things measured and set up correctly

 

Just an update to anyone that wanted to know, the rebuild went without a hitch and I now have a working speedometer, cruise control and more importantly, a nice quiet rear end. What I learned is that as long as you take your time, have 1 or 2 specialty tools (in my case dial indicator with base and seal drivers/puller) and follow instructions this is not that big of a deal. It's time consuming getting everything set right, but it isn't rocket science like I thought it was.

A few tips. Order the Yukon Super Shims, a crush sleeve eliminator and an extra pinion bearing to make a setup bearing. I think those 3 things made this job a WHOLE lot smoother.