Thanks guys!
Ended up reusing the carrier bearings. they were in great condition. sort of surprised being i'm not sure how often the military had these trucks locked in 4x4. The truck has 56K, but no telling....
New Spicer non-greasable joints.
everything prepped for carrier/seal install.
Its a shame no place here locally carries this style with the metal axle guide. I ordered spare seals just to have around.
after checking setup. Got lucky and the pattern was very similar to the old carrier and backlash at .008"
Tried some "camo" paint. i was surprised its decent. not a perfect match by any means, but more than close enough for something that is going to get bashed into rocks. I still need to order the legit paint to spray the tailgate to match the truck. I may even use this same color, despite not being a good match. whole lot better than a half primer/blue tailgate lol. Half-tempted to paint my rock rings too..
done! whats funny is the paint is actually darker than the body paint, but all the overspray on the axle/truck is darker.
Gave it a good test on the jackstands turning the tires by hand, locks up/unlocks etc. took it out on my driveway with some concrete to test it out and for sure locks up good up front. enough to roll the tire a bit. Still only have 11 PSI in the tires. Rides like a caddy on the street