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Front and rear axles

2K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  Shiftace 
#1 ·
just finished my frame,and am placing both rear axles,and springs back on.after i put the springs,and u bolts on,i dont know what angle to set the rear at,so the yoke is in the right angle to meet the transfer case yoke.should the axle be set so the ball joint holes are level up and down?.the pins are in the leaf spring,so something must be set?.i can grab knuckle,and move rear back or forward,so i need to know ,at what angle to set rear to line up drive shaft correctly.same with rear axle.

thanks dennis:confused:
 
#2 ·
just finished my frame,

and am placing both rear axles,and springs back on.after i put the springs,

and u bolts on,

i dont know what angle to set the rear at,

so the yoke is in the right angle to meet the transfer case yoke.

should the axle be set so the ball joint holes are level up and down?.

the pins are in the leaf spring,so something must be set?.

i can grab knuckle,and move rear back or forward,
so i need to know ,
at what angle to set rear to line up drive shaft correctly.same with rear axle.

thanks dennis:confused:
New Jersey public schools... Go figure!

Anyway, there is no 'Adjustment' for stock axles going back under the vehicle.

You will find bolts sticking out of your spring pack,
They will have 'Cylinder' type heads that work as PINS,
Those 'Pins' fit into openings on the axle tube mounts and locate both axles at the center of the springs.

If you want to correct pinion angle,
The angle at which the pinion angles up, and how much angle you get,
Can be set with shims, which I don't recommend unless you have put on some stupid large lift springs...

-----------------------

Just some side notes,
If your drive shaft has a 'Cardan' joint (Looks like two U Joints together in a metal frame)
Then your rear differential should more or less point at the output yoke of the transfer case.

If you only have ONE U joint per end on the drive shaft,
Then if the rear output of the transfer case is 5 degrees 'Down' towards the rear diff,
Then your rear diff should have the yoke pointing 'Up' about the same 5 degrees.
 
#3 ·
just finished my frame,and am placing both rear axles,and springs back on.after i put the springs,and u bolts on,i dont know what angle to set the rear at,so the yoke is in the right angle to meet the transfer case yoke.should the axle be set so the ball joint holes are level up and down?.the pins are in the leaf spring,so something must be set?.i can grab knuckle,and move rear back or forward,so i need to know ,at what angle to set rear to line up drive shaft correctly.same with rear axle.

thanks dennis:confused:
Dennis,

Your post is difficult to follow. First you talk about the frame then the rear axle and you jump to a question about the front axle in the middle of that discussion.

The article in my signature block describes suspension and dirveline concepts. It can help you understand what's going on and what you need to check.

When you're ready, ask specific questions about how to set, adjust, or fix your axle, suspension, or driveline clearly. Organizing and separating your thoughts will help us help you.

Mike
 
#5 ·
just finished my frameThat's cool.,and am placing both rear axlesYou have two rear axles? This might be cool...mayble,and springs back onBack on where, the front or rear?.after i put the springs,and u bolts onAre just the ubolts and springs on, or did you forget the axles?,i dont know what angle to set the rear at Which rear? The first rear or second rear axle?,so the yoke is in the right angle to meet the transfer case yoke.should the axle be set so the ball joint holes are level up and down? Sweet, you must have rear steer if your rear axle has ball joints..This must be an awesome build.the pins are in the leaf spring,so something must be set?Well, I know you can't "set" the rear pinion angle until the transfer case is actually mounted in the jeep...i can grab knuckle YOu can grab your knuckles?? Is that like being able to bite you own ear?,and move rear back or forward, Well, if you move the rear far enough forward it'll become your front.. I think.so i need to know ,at what angle to set rear to line up drive shaft correctly.same with rear axle. Ah... I got it now..I finally figured it out. Ok bro, Here's what you do.. Mount the axles on the leafs..don't weld the spring perches on yet. Get your motor, trans, and transfer case mounted in the frame, use a CV style drive shaft. Rotate the rear pinion up until it points about 2 degrees below the back transfer case yoke. That should get you close..then weld it up.

thanks dennis:confused:
:wave: Good Times...
 
#6 ·
HEY AIRBORNE
HAVE A GOOD TIME TEARING THAT APART!!!!!!I AM NOT A FULL TIME GREASE MONKEY,JUST LEARNING ,FROM SOME NICE GUYS,WHO UNDERSTAND,AND ARE WILLING TO TEACH,AND HELP ME WITH M REBUILD.for those of you guys,who understand,some of my newbe problem.the engine is in,trans,and tran. case in,i just slid the front rear,and the rear rear into place,and bolted up leaf springs.the locating pins are into springs.my question,is i can move axle,forward or backward,which changes the driveshaft angle.the jeep has no lift,or shims when taken off.does the locate pin register the angle,when tightened up?.also 85 laredo,like to meet you,and show what else public school taught me!!!!!!!!!!
 
#10 ·
Bah.. you need thicker skin.

Trying to adjust your pinion angle by screwing with where the center pin meets up with the spring perch is a waste of time. If you have a lot of lift, you might get some adjustment...but if you have no lift..you prolly won't see a degree change.

As for the rear axle, your best bet is to cut off the spring perches, clean them up, and the axle too, then set them back on the axle and bolt them up as if they where still welded on.. Get the weight of the jeep on the axle (keep safety in mind, use jackstands, etc) Crawl under jeep and set your pinion angle. When you have the pinion where you need it.. Tack weld the perches on... Drop the axle and then burn the spring perches back on.
 
#7 ·
What do you mean by "does the locate pin register the angle when tightened up?"
1. When the spring packs are tightened to the axles and the center pin located properly, your axle will not change the driveline angle or move fore/aft by hand.
2. Properly mounted/located axles will only move as far as the springs, bushings, and shackles allow when the springs compress, extend, and twist.
 
#9 ·
Denvaro,

Ignore them, I am sure at public schools you have seen how the playground operates.

If your CJ is standard I suggest you put the rear end back together again as standard and then measure the angles you have on the driveshafts. As JH pointed out if you have a standard propshaft the two ends should be more or less parallel and you do not need to point one at the other.

You do need to measure what angle that puts on the joints to make sure no issues but with a standard CJ7 unlikely.

If the angle your joints make at rest are less than about 12 degrees then it will work fine. Any more and you would be concerned about accelerated wear and a lot more about binding. However a standard CJ7 should not have a problem.

JH gave a reasonably clear explanation of how the springs, locating pins and axle tubes slot together and you should be able to just bolt up the rear end. If it is standard you will find that this gives you an acceptable arrangement.

Good luck with it.
 
#12 ·
Not sure why but some posters seem to have missed that this vehicle has no lift on it and Dennis (AKA Denvar) is asking about whether the driveline angles are set by rotating the axles etc when he puts it back together and what he needs to do to get it right.

If so this vehicle does not need perches rewelding or shims inserting or much else to get it back together. However once it is back together some sensible advice on measuring the suspension and driveline might be in order. JH is right that tyre size etc. may make the suspension angles inappropiate and this is of course more critical to the driving of a near standard CJ7 than pinion angle.

Good luck with it Dennis, just put it back together and then measure. You will be fine with a little help from JH and other knowledge holders.
 
#16 ·
Here are a few pictures of my set up,for the axle ,please reply with any thing you see,that can help.i will just bolt up as is ,if it is ok.

Thanks
dennis
 

Attachments

#18 ·
OK... it's best to measure caster when the vehicle is complete, sitting at ride height (ususally on its wheels), and on level ground.

Often times the stock springs set the caster are right where it needs to be. The perches on a Dana 30 are pretty thick, so if the caster is only off a degree or two, you can mark and carfully grind the perch mounting surface to add the angle required.
 
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