It's time to ditch the stock 3.42's in favor of some @NitroGear 4.30's along with a TrueTrac for the UglyTruck. It can be a bit overwhelming if you've never attempted this on your own, but it's not as bad as it sounds, you just need to be patient and persistent, and you can get it. I go over setting pinion depth without any special tools, pinion bearing preload, carrier backlash, and more as I rebuild the rear axle in this 2000 Silverado.

The biggest challenge to any ring and pinion install is setting the pinion depth, and I don't have any of the special tools or fixtures required to measure pinion depth, so I go over another technique of setting it using a visiual of the gear wear pattern. Some may say its not as accurate as a perfectly measured housing, but you can get close, it does just take a but more time. Once you have the pinion depth figured out, the bearing preload is pretty easy with a crush collar, and the backlash is just a matter of finding the right combination of shims.

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Parts Used from Amazon
TrueTrac Posi for GM 8.5/8.6 10-bolt
https://amzn.to/3383AjC

4.30 gears
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...

Master Install Kit
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...