Pinion hits carrier, but reads deep

[Volv8]

I have a Ford 8.8 axle and am trying to install a 3.73 US Gear ring and pinion. I’ve put it together about a million times and can’t get it right. Most recently: after doing the pinion measurements using a pinion depth setting tool and installing what I determined to be the correct pinion shim (0.033) the pinion gear is too high and contacts the carrier. I’ve double checked that my bearing races are fully seated. Has anyone ever experienced this?

 

[Midlife Crises]

Only time I had that happen was on a Sterling 10.5 in a truck. Turned out, the pinion race was not seated in the housing. If that ain’t it, remove some shims.

 

[JEWC_Motorsports]

Was there a gear set in it already? Have you tried using that shim by itself?

 

[Volv8]

There was a 4.10 gear set that came in the axle with a .027 pinion shim and I tried it but the paint read that the pinion was too low

 

[Juice]

.027 and .033 is a very small difference. Not enough to cause pinion to carrier contact.
My thoughts were also: is that race seated fully in the housing?

 

[Lime1Gt]

If your using different brands of bearings make sure the cup and cone are paired together with the same brand. Example; Don't mix a Koyo a cup with a Timken cone as they may have slightly different tapers.
You might also want to remove the large cup from the housing and check closely for burrs or raises that may have occurred to the seating surface on disassembly to the housing.