Pinion angle?

[RangeRod]

What's the current thinking on pinion angles for a budget streetable 3 or 4-link (in other words no expensive CV/double cardan shafts)?

Does the old "keep em parallel" rationale still hold, or do people go a bit wild and reckon on replacing joints regularly?

[gorilla]

No need for wacky stuff mate, lift is what will determine pinion angle, not so much links.

You mean rear, yes??

[RangeRod]

Yes, rear axle and I'm looking at around 4" lift.

[lay80n]

No need for wacky stuff mate, lift is what will determine pinion angle, not so much links.

You mean rear, yes??

If he is fabricating his own 3/4 link, Link lengths and mounting points determine pinion angle. He can set the pinion angle to what he wants at static ride height.

If you keen the pinion paralell to the output yoke, then technically the uni's will not cause vibes. A little bit of variance is not too bad, but large angles will produce vuibes adn crap out uni's quicker. A DC joint isnt that expensive, as you can get them out of other driveshafts like MQ's and hilux's fairly cheap, then get them built into your shaft. If you get a DC joint, you can point your pinion staright along the line of the shaft towards the t-case, getting better clearance under the pinion and shaft.

Layto....

[RangeRod]

I'm at the fore-play (four-play?) stage, trying to gather as much info and opinion as I can.

I haven't even looked at any link geometry yet (and I do understand the process of using the links to favourably align the pinion), but my main focus at that stage will be AS percentage etc. although ultimately some compromise will have to be reached.

DCs from other trucks as you say could be a good option and I like your thinking.

[Slunnie]

No need for wacky stuff mate, lift is what will determine pinion angle, not so much links.

You mean rear, yes??

If he is fabricating his own 3/4 link, Link lengths and mounting points determine pinion angle. He can set the pinion angle to what he wants at static ride height.

If you keen the pinion paralell to the output yoke, then technically the uni's will not cause vibes. A little bit of variance is not too bad, but large angles will produce vuibes adn crap out uni's quicker. A DC joint isnt that expensive, as you can get them out of other driveshafts like MQ's and hilux's fairly cheap, then get them built into your shaft. If you get a DC joint, you can point your pinion staright along the line of the shaft towards the t-case, getting better clearance under the pinion and shaft.

Layto....

The other thing that this will do is reduce the angles going through the unis by lifting the pinion height and that promotes better life.

For shafts, I found it very economical to import custom shafts from Tom Woods in the US. He's very good to deal with, shafts arrive in about 5 working days, but phone calls last a long time!

[Modified Toy]

some interesting stuff about setting up a 4 link
http://www.4wheeloffroad.com/techarticl ... index.html

[RangeRod]

Thanks for the replies!