1) Plan on buying the sensors. Doubt you'll get them out w/o breaking. You can't grind the sensors (there's a copper winding coil just under the plastic) and I'd be nevous about grinding on the ABS ring itself and throwing off the calibration/sensor pickup and then you'll have to buy the rings after all and pay to have them put on.
2) Buy FORD gears!!!!!!! Much easier to set up. And buy a $20.00 set of micrometers (instead of just using calipers) at Harbor Freight so you can actually get some accurate measurements. Auto Zone loans a bearing driver kit. You'll need access to a press. Harbor Freight also has a dial indicator and base for about $35.00).
3) Take your time and follow the
www.corral.net instructions.
4) Measure existing preload and backlash before pulling it apart.
5) Setting the pinion head depth by measuring the existing pinion head (assuming FORD) vs the new (FORD) head and shimming to reach the same total does work.
6) Mark everything (shims, bearing caps, bearing races, etc) left/right and top/bottom.
7) You'll need a piece of bar stock/angle iron you can drill and bolt to the pinion flange to hold it while you tighten the pinion nut to approx 200 ft/lbs to crush the sleeve.
8) Pinion preload is tricky w/o a torque wrench. (Should be 16-29 in/lb for new bearings). (And a torque wrench will be hard to find). If you can find an accurate spring scale (like for measuring fish), you put a bolt in the pinion flange, put the spring scale on it, and pull down. You want tighten the pinion/crush the sleeve enough to have a resistance of 16-29 in/lbs. The driveshaft flange bolt is 1.75" from the pinion centerline. 1.75" x 10 lbs of resistance = 17.5 in/lbs. You have and acceptable preload!