8 1/4 Gear Change Question

Funny thing is, out of three pinion bearings I pressed off - 2 were 3.55 pinions and one was the 2.45 pinion - only 1 had a shim, which looks to me to be around .018 - but I dont' have a caliper at the moment. The other two were seated flat against the pinon gear.

When I rebuilt my 8.25 the pinion shim was not between the bearing and the pinion. It was between the race and the carrier. Much easier to set up that way, the race taps out with little effort.