setting pinion angle

[BWDart]

Where is the best place to get a reading off the motor/trans so I can match the rear end angle?
Thanks
Bruce

 

[memike]

is it an automatic, if so, a magnetic degree gage on the pan I think BWDart, I know pinion angle, but there should be a tec that can tell us..

 

[BWDart]

It is an auto and the motor was set a 3 but that was at the carb.

 

[memike]

All I could find that will help

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ-m9ov3wYM&feature=related"]How to Measure & Calculate Drive Line Angles - YouTube[/ame]

 

[crackedback]

Put your angle finder right on the tailshaft. Get your reading, say it's 3* down. Have your car loaded like you plan to drive it, drivers weight in seat and use a socket that is constant diameter and that fit into the yoke. Get the yoke point vertical, set socket in yoke and the angle finder. For a 0 pinion angle in this case you want the yoke pointing 3* UP. From there you can roll it down to get your desired setting.

If you put the yoke at 0, you'd have a -3* pinion angle.

The idea is to get the u-joint to run in a parallel plane under power. When the car is under power the pinion tries to rise, thus the pointing it down slightly.

 

[BWDart]

Thanks Memike and Cracked, that really helped I'll get a angle finder this week and work on it this weekend,

 

[fishy68]

Rob-Crackedback has a great method there. A lot of people overlook the need for weight in the drivers seat to compensate for the driver. The only thing I'll add is sometimes it's hard to get the angle finder into the output shaft (my car for example due to the driveshaft loop). If you find that the case see if you can get a reading off the harmonic balancer. It's in a straight line with the output shaft so it'll give the same reading as the output shaft.

 

[Supershafts]

Adding weight for the driver when setting the cross weight and balance on a race car for handling... smart, for adjusting pin angle no effect.

All you need to worry about are the shafts angle and being 4 degrees off that because you have leaf springs.