pinion angle

lower car on wheels: Absolute angle of trans output shaft (eg. 2 {down}) should equal down angle of static pinion (in negative number eg. -3) +5 for wrap up of leaf springs. And the only one of these you can vary is the static pinion angle with shims available in 1,3 and 5 degrees from a 4X4 shop. So as it has been said, you want to MAKE the final rear pinion angle (-3) + spring wrap (+5) + angle of trans yoke (-2) to equal 0 at full torque....or just parallel to the output shaft of the trans adding variable 5 for spring wrap. The 5 is also a variable, depending on what leafs you have and also what suspension you have. You DONT want it to be 0 at cruise or you will wear out your U-joints as there will be no roller action to distribute the load against the bearing race, sounds wrong but that is what has been written. driveshaft angles have little to do with it unless they are nearing their max deflection rates as in a 4X4...EZ?