The cheapest I've found for labor alone is $175 with the axle housing off the vehicle (or 3rd member carrier). $225 for on the vehicle. I'm thinking of doing this with my K10. Both diffs need new bearings and set up with shims. But I'm skeered.
To stave off my fears, I'm looking into whether set-up bearings are available for my K10's 12-bolt and D44. My understanding of set-up bearings is that they have a little larger inside diameter than regular bearings, so they slip on the pinion without a press just to use to set-up the number of shims needed to set the pinion depth. This way you don't risk damaging the bearings that will be installed while setting everything up. I need to querry West Coast Differentials and Randy's Ring & Pinion, among other sources.
I have access to a press & all the tools so I'll save costs there. I also want to dive in so I can do it from now on. I may put a few more diffs under my belt in the next year or two. I just need to get over my apprehensions.
Hopefully, my mechanical skills will pull me through.
