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If your worried about the stock axle hitting the button with non stock axle bearings you can space the axle out(the early tapered axles where done that way from the factory) with shims so you get somewhere between .000 to maybe .006 end play you could also grind a tiny bit off of the end of the axle until you get a little end play, use the same numbers on end play, IMO



Here's where it stands at the moment: I just stumbled on the thrust button issue a few days ago while perusing another thread. I replaced my bent, tapered bearing axles with green bearing ones. Per the other thread it was stated the green bearings didn't like to be side loaded via the thrust button. Well, due to my ignorance they were. Coincidentally, my rear started whining after about 100 miles of driving. It didn't whine when I put the new axles in. So I'm surmising that the bearings are trashed.

I'd love to get the button out, but I can't justify pulling the diff, dragging it to a shop, and spending a ton of money to do it. And it looks like there's no shortcut with a magnet. If I had to guess at this moment I would say 1/4" -- maybe more -- would have to come off each axle.