Is changing diff centres a DIY job?

IMO if you are confident enough to pull shafts, remove prop, drain oil and remove a diff, then you are smart enough to have a go at it. If you have new carrier bearings ready then you don't have to struggle getting the old ones off the old carrier without wrecking them. You won't be removing the pinion and you will be refitting the same crownwheel so all you have to really worry about is fitting the bearings and making sure they are 'home', swapping the crownwheel (loctite needed here), and refitting with the correct backlash. There's ways of doing this, but as long as you get the teeth meshing in the center of the teeth you are near. I'd get it all apart and start the swap then shout/post pics if you get stuck... :)

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Originally Posted by goingbush

Has the ute got IRS ?? either way if you do the falcon first you will find the LR diffs a breeze, So much easier to set up a banjo diff.

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Nah, Falcon utes still use the good old leaf spring setup!

I'm about to do mine, when my Ashcroft locker stops having a holiday in NY... Someone should wake it up and tell it to jump on a plane for me.:D

As I'm reusing the crown wheel and pinion I will be measuring the current backlash and taking a picture of the contact pattern.

The idea being that it is better to match a warn pattern than going for what what would normally be the "ideal" contact pattern. This is to match the actual wear and hence hopefully prevent any noise.

Patience is required, be prepared to redo the backlash setting if it is not right. I'm fitting the locker into a spare diff so I have plenty of time to get it right.

Cheers
Ron

Haven't done a diff but I've done industrial power transmission gears.
Setting the correct backlash and mesh pattern is fiddly buy not that difficult.
Be careful with bearing blue though, a little goes along way and it will get all over everything if you give it half a chance!
As you won't be touching the pinion that removes half of the fussing about in one go, makes the job much easier.