I did some exploratory surgery on my auto hubs in preparation for swapping in Aisins.

The little snap ring at the end of the shaft wasn't snapped in place...DOH!... I *think* this has allowed the outer splines to be worn off. I'm going to try the "grind a new groove w/Dremel and use 24mm ring" trick.

I'll need shims too, but how much end play should there be?

Is it correct to say that the only thing keeping the axle shaft in the spindle is the snap ring? What should the inboard side of spindle look like? When I went to reinstall the auto hub, I had to push the axle out quite a bit to be able to get the snap ring back on (maybe 1/2" or more) - the "springiness" of the CV shaft/boots wanted to pull it back out of the spindle.

What's the function of the small snap ring on the axle using auto hubs vs. the bolt-and-washer? Their function seems redundant to some degree.