Got this response from Bruce. The factory had .094 on one side and .102 on the other and so far I have .50" more shims in and will have to add some more after I remove the plates from the diff oil. Will report back when I have it together. Henry.
My apologies for not getting back to you in a timely manner. If you were to break out the one of the factory service manuals, it would have you checking the backlash between the side gears and pinion gears (spider gears). It should be between .001 and .006. In other words, the tiniest amount of movement. I tend to do my own thing and try to achieve 0 lash where there is no movement, because once the clutches start to wear a tiny bit, there will then be lash. The drawback to getting them on the tight side like I do is they may chirp the tires going around corners for a while until everything breaks in so to speak. The short answer to your question though is "yes"; it's almost exactly the same procedure as the 12 bolts. The biggest difference is the 8.5 uses a one piece spring which is far easier to install than the 12 bolt. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Bruce
