Putting together a 12 bolt. Put in a new Ratech #3111 crush collar and got up to 300 ft/lbs on the pinion nut and couldn't get more than 10 in/lbs of preload. Was afraid to go any further for fear of stripping pinion nut. Took out that crush and got new one from Strange. Compared the 2 with a mike and the Raytech was .020" longer. Put in the Strange and got the recomended 18 in/lbs preload at 160 ft/lbs on the pinion. Anybody run into this?

I prefer to use GM parts when possible. I have had problems with Ratech crush spacers before. I had one split right down the seam. Had to disassemble the rear end again to change it. There are some that are only made by Ratech, so you don't have a choice. The Strange spacer was probably a GM spacer. I'd like to see more than 160 foot pounds of torque on the nut. That just isn't quite enough. Should be at least 200 or more.

It probably was closer to 200. My torque wrench goes to 150. I went somewhat past that but nothing like the Ratech part where I was putting most of my weight on a 2 foot long wrench (2 ft X 150 lbs = 300 ft/lbs). I was really looking to get the proper preload number.

Thanks,
Gary

I only use spacers. You can buy them for about $40 and they take the place of the crush sleeve. You get a solid spacer and a shimming kit. You shim so you get the proper bearing preload and they never back off. It makes putting the pinion nut on easy. I just use the impact and draw it up tight.
If down the road you need to change a pinion seal it is quick and easy to remove the yoke, change the seal and using and impact put the yoke back on.
Also if you run into problems with a yoke that tends to leak there are nice little slip on sleeves that go over the yoke and provide a little better fit for the pinion seal, plus a little tighter fit.
If you want to read a paper on setting up a rearend this guy Gary is really good at it. This is setting up a corvette rearend but the principle is all the same.
Setting up the side gears/posi shimming is usually not well known and really affects endplay on the axles plus prevents chattering on the corners.
Gary also provides the solid crush sleeves and the tiny sleeves that slide over the yoke to provide a much improved pinion seal surface.
Polishing a yoke with fine emery paper is not enough

Where can you read this paper?
When I bought my parts from Strange I saw they had a non-crush sleeve but they said it was just for racing and talked me out of it. How many of you guys are using them for street?

Where can you read this paper?
When I bought my parts from Strange I saw they had a non-crush sleeve but they said it was just for racing and talked me out of it. How many of you guys are using them for street?

Solid sleeves are NOT just for racing. 4 wheel drive vehicles need them for off road to prevent the backing off of the pinion nut when going DOWN hill, Toyota uses them in all rearends.
Believe me they are easier to use then a crush sleeve, they never ever back off the preload on the pinion nut and they really make setting up the pinion so much easier.
I personally make them myself. I have a heavy walled piece of pipe and cut and machine custom spacers to length all the time for any rearends I set up.
Gary and really great guy at doing custom rearends sells the shimmable kind. I will try and find his paper and post it here to all to read. Remember his specializes in corvettes but setting up a rearend for anything is all the same. He particularly does great work on setting up the posi units and the axle gears or side gears.

548 I tried posting his paper but it was too big. I did send it to you as an email. I tried finding his link but couldn't. I kept a copy so I sent you that. There is another one someplace with more detail on fine tuning the posi and setting the backlash in the spider gears and will try find that too.
Hope the other one came through ok

Thanks Norval, I got the paper!

I am always looking for more info to learn from. Where can I see this "paper"?

One more thumbs up for the shimmable spacer for setting up the rear-end. Not that I have a ton of experience, but the spacer made setting up my rear end MUCH easier (and made the eventual pinion yoke swap a lot easier as well). Well worth the extra ~25 bucks from summit.

My Dad (70 this year) has been running them for years on the street in his Ferds with no ill effect.