Setting pinion angle

[younggun2.0]

i have a 67 dart with a 383/727 combo. the rear suspension is

cal-tracs with mono leafs

inboard springs and rear sliders.

i have a new moser housing going in and i want to set the correct pinion angle. i have read alot on the subject and think i have a good idea of how do do this. i plan to jack the car up and place it on ramp under all four tires leveling as needed to level the lower rocker panel. the trans should be tilting down in the rear some place in the 3 degree area correct? so if that is correct then i would want the pinion pointing up 3 degrees also?

this is where my question comes in. if the trans is pointing down 3 degrees then rear is up the 3 degrees to make a parallel line. which way does the 3-5 degree go on the pinion to compinsate for axel wrap?


it seem that i should point the pinion down 3 degrees more to compensate for the axel wrap. that would put me at level. any help is greatly appreciated. im having a hard time wrapping my head around this.

 

[crackedback]

Measure the trans output shaft angle. Whatever reading you get there, you want the opposite at the pinion to get a zero angle. You have it correct in your statement above, trans 3* pointing down, you want pinion pointing up 3* for a zero angle reading.

Rocker panel being level doesn't matter, it's a trans/rear axle relationship. The car really should be loaded at race weight to be spot on. If you put a driver in the seat and the trunk isn't outfitted with cell/battery/fuel pumps, etc. the angle will change from unloaded. Setting pinion angle is one of the last things I do on a car.

The angle you want is the pinion to be pointing lower or down from the trans because the pinion nose will climb up under power. So if you wanted a 3* pinion angle down, you'd set the pinion nose at 0, straight up/down. 4* down would be pointing down 1*. An easy trick to measure the nose angle is grab a socket that is constant diameter and fits in the yoke saddles, slap angle finder to it.