pinion angle and castor ?

ok ? is i am getting a hp 44 retubed , running 8 rk lift in the front 3 link thats has sagged some. what do i set my pinion angle at and then what about castor. I searched and read 4 to 6 * for castor but thats only after the pinion is set right?

No they are tied together. It's a trade off as you go higher. And at 8" you'll get to choose which you want closer, caster or pinion angle. I run an 8 inch lift and have the caster just outside specs so I have a decent pinion angle that won't bind the front drive shaft. With an adjustable set up, not a big deal to dial it in to where you want.

ya but when rewelding the inner cs back on the new tubes. and i wanted say 6* for castor is that 6* from the level floor and if so would you not have to set your pinion angle first? i am getting confused now.

My 30 is setup for 6 caster, 11* pinion.

Set your pinion angle with the vehicle at ride height and then set your castor. Just reweld your knuckles on however you'd like, but more specifically, to stock specs.

Yeah, it's really impossible to get right outside the vehicle. Ideally you set the axle up (minus knuckles, on jackstands) at the pinion angle you want, then put the knuckles on at the caster angle you're looking for, and burn everything in.

Stock caster spec doesn't work well on a lifted xj, it will be prone to wobbling. I'd go for 4-5 degrees.

is 19* stock?

Caster? Try 6 or 7.

Smittty9785 said:

is 19* stock?

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That number looks fimiliar, however, that's not the real number. That would be the number if you measured on the diff cover mating surface. Its a much easier spot to measure from than actually measuring the knuckles, but you just have to remember to add a number to it....can't remember it right now, but it seems like it was 13 or something like that. Don't quote me, I'd look it up if I were you, but I think you're on the right track.

What you need to do is set the caster at 7* and the pinion needs to be pointed at your front output flange centre. You know when this is dead on it you have a driveshaft in as the driveshaft angle will read exactly 90* different than the pinion. Not sure how you can do that without having it setup under but stock has a 9* difference between caster and pinion angle. You would want a greater one than this. You could look at my site and chack what you have in now on your old axle and adjust the arms or shim it until you have the pinion pointing at the output shaft. Then measure it and see how many degrees out you caster is so you know how much to add to you new one in difference. Hope that makes sense? Otherwise you can rotate you axle until pinion is correct and with a angle finded on the flat part next to your diff cover, tell me what it reads and I can work out for you how much your caster needs to be correct.

rupert said:

ya but when rewelding the inner cs back on the new tubes. and i wanted say 6* for castor is that 6* from the level floor and if so would you not have to set your pinion angle first? i am getting confused now.

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I have basically the same lift height as you, about 7.5". When I built my Drr I set the castor at 5* and the pinion at 10*. It's pretty close, but if I was doing it again I'd still set the castor at 5* but the pinion at 12*.

I agree with Jacobs that the stock 7* of castor is too much for a lifted rig. Having done this a long time, my opinion is 3-5* is ideal. The degrees are back from vertical.....through the center of the ball joints.

You want the pinion set so the driveline/pinion angle is as close to 0* as you can get it.......u-joint angle is straight. The 12* I think is about right is measured up from horizontal.

If I'm thinking this correctly, that would mean that if you set the housing up so that the pinion was level with the ground, the inner C's would be mounted 17* (5+12) back from vertical.

thks alot guys.

53guy said:

That number looks fimiliar, however, that's not the real number. That would be the number if you measured on the diff cover mating surface. Its a much easier spot to measure from than actually measuring the knuckles, but you just have to remember to add a number to it....can't remember it right now, but it seems like it was 13 or something like that. Don't quote me, I'd look it up if I were you, but I think you're on the right track.

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19* i waas taslking about the rear pinion angle...