adjusting front axle pinion angle?

i'm having some trouble with my front pinion angle. its about 5 deg. lower than my driveshaft angle i'm thinking about adjustable upper control arms, But i was wondering if anyone has done this and had adverse reactions, other than steering , and how bad the steering was. this is my wifes daily driver so i don't want it scary or unsafe, thanks, Scott

P.S. it's a 99 with a 4.5" rusty's lift w/ AA SYE and tom woods rear shaft, i took the transfer case drop kit out.

You're on the right track.

Caster and pinion angle are very much related in the front, and it's a trade-off. In your case, you'll end up with less caster than is ideal, just to reduce the operating angle at the front pinion. Yes, this is how my 94 FSM suggests.

I have the same problem....I just bought a used set of RE SF adjustable UCAs because i already have RE SF ficed LCAs....I hope to find some in-between where neither front pinion/DS angle and caster are too far off....right now I have some vibes when in 4WD and I think it is from the pinion/DS angle.....I'll let you know when I get around to putting them in....but I have been told -7* to -9* is what you want for caster....we'll see.
May want to check this link
http://www.opiebennett.com/upperdrrveshaft.htm
basically what I will be working from

thanks guys, appreciate the help that site was pretty good too. i'm just wondering if anyone has first hand experiance and how bad the steering was.

Well, I'd hope he had figured it out by now.

I'm at 3.5* and lovin it. That whole big-tire thing.

FordGuy said:

You can get away with 4.5 deg caster, but if you go any less your steering wont return correctly and it becomes very light and twitchy. When you run lager tires they self center easier than small tires, which allows you to run less than ideal caster.

Click to expand...

ah! that explains it - after installing my 6.5 long arms I could see that I would have to rotate the pinion upwards by lengthening the upper arms (which I did) steering did get kind of light but when I stepped up to the 33 x12.5's it actually improved and is pretty good now. I still have some front dshaft noise/vibe that I would like to get rid of and am considering some sort of home-brew driveshaft quickdisco thingamajob. It's on the sketchpad right now but stay tuned for details

HOLY THREAD FROM THE ARCHIVES BATMAN!