well I sure appreciate your help as with everyone that chimed in, so now on to the forward shim, do you think I am likely to encounter anything unusual related to the circumstance I had?
just make sure you get the pinion bearing preload right for the new bearings --- do the final assembly and give the gear a go -- you will know if anything is amiss
here are a couple pics of used 3.23's i set up and a photo of a new set that was done recently to give you an idea of of what a good used and new pattern looks like