Setting Pinion Angle
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
[quote=M.Collis;7512331]
That is a great suggestion, which I will do tomorrow morning. Thanx
if you throw your trans in neutral and jack up the rear wheels off the ground you can turn the drive shaft by hand. your hands will feel any binding.
Last edited by 2losteve; May 17, 2009 at 11:37 PM. Reason: perfecting!
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Durham NC
Steve, how much space is there between the driveshaft and that crossmember/housing at rest also between the axle and the frame? (I can't see any C notches in the frame?) You need to allow for at least 4" of upward movement of the suspension, and have rubber snubbers above the axle long enough that no moving part of the driveline can contact anything solid at full movement. It appears that the driveshaft yoke/U joint bearing caps are what contacted the sway bar, That would immediately damage the U joint bearings resulting in a quick death. If it were mine, I'd flip that sway to behind the axle, or at least to the top of the frame.
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From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
AX, there is 2 1/2" from the top of the u-joint to the swaybar tube & 1 3/4" between the top of the axle housing and the poly snubbers inside my C-notch. Not alot of travel, I know, but I like it low and it rides darn good unless I hit a good one. I'm sure that after swinging that pinion up to 4 1/2 degrees that the contact was made. Don't exactly know how I could pre-determine whether it's going to hit now as I don't know how much spring wrap actually occurs.
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i noticed in the picture you did not have any spring clamps on the front half of the springs, installing spring clamps will stiffen the front half of the spring and help prevent the s shape that happens when the spring is under torque..poor mans traction bars.
Postmaster
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when you get your pinion angle right you should be good unless you have a spring problem. If you have a problem you can use cal track bars . There bolt on bars & are adjustable . There made for racing but can be used just to stop spring rap & keep a good pinion angle...Calvert racing .. Lew
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From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
I took it for a longer 'test' ride today. Got on our smooth flowing freeway system for about 10 miles as well as some surface street stuff. No problem so far, but I was pretty soft on the 'go pedal'.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: Durham NC
You may consider a pinion snubber if you don't want to increase clearances. They were frequently used on leaf sprung cars from the factory back in the day. A bracket attached to the pinion housing extending over the U joint with a rubber bump stop attached to the top. It was designed to contact a place on a frame crossmember before any contact between the moving parts ccould occur. The Ramchargers Chrysler factory race team used them rather than traction bars by extending the bump stop IIRC. Other racers soon copied.
If you use an additional leaf clamp, install it so it clamps the 2nd to the main leaf ~ 1/2 way between the end of the second leaf and the end of the third leaf only on the front of the spring. You are effectively shortening that leaf, so the ride will stiffen noticably.
If you use an additional leaf clamp, install it so it clamps the 2nd to the main leaf ~ 1/2 way between the end of the second leaf and the end of the third leaf only on the front of the spring. You are effectively shortening that leaf, so the ride will stiffen noticably.
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From: South west Idaho
Hello I'm new to this forum so mayby my opinions not worth anything .I have been building street rods ,trucks ,ect. and doing all my own backyard mechanic work starting in 1956.I agree with BRUCEWOLFF it looks like the pinion nose needs to come down . the only time I have had spring wrap and u-joint problems with modest horse power is with pinion in line with drive shaft and to many spring leaves removed with no clamps put back on springs. I always have a some small amount of angle in the u-joint on both ends.I have a angle finder but all I use it for is to get my carb right and to get the pinion right when I weld on new spring pads.I set the u-joint angle by just looking at it . this may not work for everybody but it has for me since 1956 in many vehicals and never lost a u-joint from normal use in any of my vehicals . Only from abuse. This car hobby is fun I have done it for a long time, to the new ones in the hobby dont make it hard to enjoy, dont make a big problem from a small one, listen to the good advise I see on this forum every day,especealy that from the ones that have been there and done that. my two cents worth.
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From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
I do actually now have neg. pinion angle in relation to my engine/trans. As I said earlier, my rearend sets higher than my trans tailshaft and the engine/trans. angle is 4 1/2 degrees. Since I added the shims I reduced the pinion angle from 4 1/2 to between 2 & 3 degrees.
Ax, that snubber idea is something that I had considered also. It would at least keep the u-joints from hitting that tube under hard throttle.
Ax, that snubber idea is something that I had considered also. It would at least keep the u-joints from hitting that tube under hard throttle.
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