My carrier was completed and my axles were set up, I just have to do the final assembly to everything on the housing. Scroll down till you hit the green text again.

So ignore everything else for now as it was for taking the 8 3/4 apart. Now that I've got this all apart, what's the best way to clean the carrier for paint/powdercoating? I'd assume now would be the most opportune time to get it done before it's reassembled. Which would be better, paint or powdercoating?

So, I'm going to get my 8 3/4 built today and I'd like to strip it down as best as possible before I drop it at my buddies house (as these things are heavy) sometime within the next week or two. I've got almost all the brake stuff off besides the parking brake, lines, distribution block, and parking brake. I don't see any way the backing plates can come off unless the axles are removed. Is it fairly easy to remove the axles? I'd assume once my axles are removed, the carrier can come out by simply unbolting it from the front. Thanks for all your help.