Is it ok that I left out the diff shims?

[teknojim23]

I mangled my diff shims taking my front diff out. There was one on each side. I didn't have any so just put it back together without them ...is that ok?

 

[Billl DeLong]

I have been able to flatten mangled shims with pliers in a pinch! Now is the time to buy plenty of spare shims, these are disposable and go bad over time regardless.

Only person that can figure this out is you

Basically, you need to determine which sides of the bearings need shims, generally the shims are always required, though sometimes both shims may be needed on one side or the other, and sometimes one shim on each side makes the perfect mesh alignment. Sans shims will increase the chance of stripping your crown/pinion gears!

 

[Nicochau]

Those bearing holders (in the video) look amazing. I find it really hard to keep those shims in good shape.

I want this on the EB48 2.3!

 

[RustyUs]

It all depends on the amount of play/backlash you're willing to deal with. I'd order some to keep on hand.

Not sure which SCT you're talking about, but this is from a SCT410.3 thread:

"Outer Diff Shims Tip. Getting the diff in the housings with one shim on each side can be challenging. They are delicate, thin, and have nothing to keep them in place while you try to install the diff. It's very easy to buckle/bend one or miss getting it in the housing. What you can do to make installation easier is to cut a .5mm x 30~40 degree chamfer on the inside of each of the four corners of the bearing lip of each diff housing halve (8 total for front diff, 8 total for rear diff). [See pic below] This allows a bit of alignment assistance to get the diff installed without damaging the shims."