A couple other differences between the obs axles and the new ones:
1. the spring perch width is approx. 47" for the obs and 49" for nbs so those need to be cut off and new ones welded on.
2. the brake mounts for the backing plates need to be moved outward on the axle and clocked 45 degrees for the calipers to mount and orient correctly
3. some of the brake line tabs etc. don't match but are for the most part useable with a little modification
4. the shock mounts on the obs are shorter than the nbs. great for ground clearance but could cause issues with uptravel in some suspension setups. (I added a zero rate aal to my pack while I was at it which left my shocks right in the middle of their travel at ride height)
Here are the obligatory weld closeups of some of my mount changes:
After replacing all the bearings etc... set up the old gears on the new carrier and went back together with the same shim setup as a start on the new carrier. Luckily it turned out perfect for the new carrier as well! 7 thousandths backlash and same contact patch on the gears! Did have to pull it back out and start over with a new crush sleeve after I over tightened the first one...
:Mechanic:
Sorry, didn't get a good pic of the gear mesh, this one was after spinning the diff and reinstalling a few times.
Had to also drill a hole in the pumpkin to run the plug out through.
After making sure everything was in working order I sealed that plug and hole up with plenty of RTV.