Reading Paint on the Ring Gear

[Erik the Awful]

When your spinning the ring gear hold on to the yoke to provide resistance run it back and forth resistance both ways through the painted area.

This. I had the same issue with reading the pattern when rebuilding the rearend in my Mustang. You have to put a drag on the gears with your free hand.

 

[MotoMex25]

After a week of thinking, trial and error, and research... I found that the original chart I had been using was for a Hobbed 2-cut style ring gear.

Differential ring gears are Milled 5-cut style rings gears, and require different solutions to the same patterns.

Thank you everyone for your help. I think I've got it now.

Sadly, my original shim was the correct size, and all I needed to do was increase my backlash. Hope this helps others in the future.