Going thru axles before swap

[zac]

'79 K20 10bolt/14ff/th400/np203

I'm getting ready to swap my 4.10 axles for 3.42's. I have 2 fronts and one rear. Because of it's weight, I figure it will be easier to install the 14 before I pull the axles out. Inside the pumpkin looks fine. Other than the bearings, what else should I be looking for? I've had a bunch of 12 bolts apart before, but never a 14.

I had to redo a bunch of stuff on my 4.10 front last fall to get it through the winter. I was not happy with the Autozone u-joints that I installed in the steering knuckles. What kind of u-joints do you guys use, and where do you get them? This truck will not be used for heavy duty off-roading, but it does have full-time 4wd, and I don't want to swap these joints again.

The spider and side gears on all the fronts seem to have a little play in them. How much is too much? The one I'm using now also had some play but it seems to work OK. I've seen kits to replace these along with the crosshaft. Is it worthwhile? One of the axles shows a little wear between the case and crosshaft, so I think I'll pass on that one. Any other suggestions? Thanks.