This is a pretty good writeup on general differential setup.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/articles/tech/billavista/Gear_Setup
Pay special attention to the pinion depth setup and what it says about the numbers etched on the nose of the pinion gear. The pinion is the hardest part to get right, as any adjustment means removing and reinstalling the pinion bearing to get to the shims. Paying attention to those numbers (when they are present) usually allows me to be able to set the pinion depth correctly the first time.
The carrier side shims are time consuming, but only entail removing and replacing the carrier and not re-pressing bearings off and on. So not a big deal, just time consuming and it gets heavy after moving it in and out a few dozen times.
Don't throw away your old shims, and before you start get a caliper and a sharpie and measure all of the shims you have. Mark the measurement on the shims. This will help you when it comes down to the fine adjustments, as you can easily grab the next size thicker or thinner shim.
I do this fairly often and it still takes around 4-6 hours for most of them. This is why most of us were warning you to get an 8.8, but hey, you would have had to go through all this to install a locker in an 8.8 too. Also, most ring gear bolts are left handed threads, so don't let that trick you.