Ok.. I have a few questions, the first two probably sound stupid, but gotta learn somehow...

1) What exactly is caster/camber?

2) On a four-link setup, how do you determine the lengths of the links and also the pinion angles?

Thanks

 

Camber is the angle of the wheel relative to vertical, as viewed from the front or the rear of the car. If the wheel leans in towards the chassis, it has negative camber; if it leans away from the car, it has positive camber

Caster is the angle to which the steering pivot axis is tilted forward or rearward from vertical, as viewed from the side. If the pivot axis is tilted backward (that is, the top pivot is positioned farther rearward than the bottom pivot), then the caster is positive; if it's tilted forward, then the caster is negative

and for a four link.....lots of research and trial/error

-cutts-

 

If you are setting up a four link you would be well served to buy one of the many chassis books that go over this in detail. My buddy bought a couple that helped him immensly when he built his race car. Four links can be tricky to dial in like Fishy mentioned.

 

Yeah.. I don't know what I want to do. I am looking into buying an old beater pickup that would not be used on the street.. at all. I would do this so i wouldn't have to pay insurance. What I want is just something old (and cheap) that I can remove all of the stock suspension and run a four-link with coils on all four corners. Probably triangulated fourlink in the back and either the same in the front or a regular four-link with trac bar. I want something fairly simple that will be great off-road. The purpose for this vehicle will just be for playin around, a little bit of everything. Nothing high speed or competition. Just some fun at the local four wheel spots.

I figure for coils i will use either the 6" or 8-9" springs for the 78-79 broncos. My vehicle is not known yet, althought it will prbably be a bronco of that year range, or an early blazer or early jeep wagoneer. Any way I will run the coils and four link.

I have just heard a lot of talk about getting the lengths of the links right to reduce wheelhop and such. How long do they need to be? I am sure there is an equation out there somewhere. For rear pinion angle - - this I don't know much about. i asume the front must remain level for the steering angle purposes. However on the back how do you know, or what do you go by?

Anyways any input is appreciated, I respect y'alls opinions.

 

Anybody?


Ok... here is what i have to work with. It is a 93 jeep wrangler, few mods.. lots to come.

I will be doing the coil/four-link conversion, and also hopefully an axle swap if $$ allows one right now. So here is what I have gathered thus far, please put in your input...

-pinion angles---
On the rear axle your the diff should be angled so that it is pointed towards the transfer case but only if i use a cv joint at the tcase.. is that right? As far as the front goes, does the axle need to remain at its stock angle for steering purposes, or can it be angled pointed towards the tcase as well?

 

Okay, pinion angles. You have two ways of going about this. One, is too have the angles of the opposing u-joints within a maximum of three degrees of each other. So, if where your driveshaft meets your x-case yoke is at 12 degrees then your rear pinion angle needs to be as close to 12 degrees as you can get. In essence, the opposing angles set at the same degree help keep the driveline in balance.

Or, the other way is to set your rear pinion angle at zero (pointed up at the x-case like you mentioned). You do not need to run a cv at the x-case unless your angle at that point is getting close to 18 degrees. Once you get up to about that point you need to get a good cv. I can recomend High Angle Drivelines. Just got one myself.

The front can be rotated up as well, but you need to realize that you would only be rotating the pumpkin, not the entire axle. This of course become rather labor intensive and its usually easier to just match your u-joint angles as I mentioned in option number one above.

Finally, anytime you rotate you housing up like that don't get to radical with it or you can compromise your gear oiling. Sounds like a fun project.

 

Awesome.. exactly what i was looking for pro... thanks

 

I'd like to add something- if you are going to point your rear pinion at the t-case yoke, don't point it exactly at it- make shure there are a few degrees at least.If you dont,the needle bearings in your pinion u-joint wont be moving at all and all of the torque will be put on the same few tiny bearings constantly-and they wont live long like that. Also I know a guy that had the pinion bearing starvation from his pinion sitting too high-he moved his fill plug up a couple inches to raise the level of the gear oil.

 

Yea, thats what I meant...it could compromise the oiling for the bearing for the pinion (not gears) if its turned up to high. Pretty fuzzy this morning as I'm hella sick. Which is why I'm sitting on the computer on a fine saturday morning

Anyways, glad to help '02, even if its for a heep