Greg, glad things worked out well for you thus far. It isn't difficult to dissassemble your carrier to get the gears out. You will need an impact gun for the pinion nut probably. You say that he will allow exchange for a traction lok. What exactly are you ordering from Clayton if it isn't already a traction lok? The carrier I bought from him is a traction lok and I really like it once it got broke in. At first I had some "skipping" if I was in reverse and turning but that gradually smoothed out. Be sure to use "limited slip additive" with your gear
oil and ask Clayton which weight gear
oil he recommends for your carrier. 90 or 135 wt. At first I used Lucas 90 wt. gear
oil which says to use for limited slip AS IS and NOT to add the additive. Because of the "skipping" I added the additive and everything smoothed out so I recommend the additive even with Lucas gear oil. Lastly, there is an outfit that has a reusable carrier to housing gasket that I really like rather than the paper one which needs sealant on both sides to prevent leaks. Finally, consider using a new carrier installation fastener kit rather than reusing the old copper washers and jam nuts. The copper washers are necessary to prevent leaking and old jam nuts usually have lost much of their staying power. If you need an installation kit, let me know. I have at least a dozen NOS kits laying around the shop. Keep us posted on your progress.