pinion depth, how close does it have to be

He had none other than stage and go. lol He's almost 90 now. I've learned a lot from him. Some "not to do" things, too. LOL
That's another question I had, is it safe to do a test rip before break in is complete. Now I know. Sounds like a cool dude! Don't use lathe while drinking beer... I'll leave her there!

My 741 case was a little tight on bask lash. After a few attempts I gave up and left it a little tight (used gears) No issues. Just drove up to NH and back this weekend all good.
That's about how I did my used gears last time. Had a slight whine at certain speeds but the price was right lol. Glad you got er done right!