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D44 Knuckle Rotation Question

slvr98svt

NAXJA Forum User
Hey I am about to rotate my pinion and knuckles. However I am not sure where to rotate from. It is a low pinion and everyone says anywhere from 11-13 degrees. It is going to be a DD with around 8" of lift, I was wondering if you rotate the pinion from stock location up 11 degrees or from the pinion being at 0 degrees horizontal, then up 11. I figured I would go eleven and my castor at 6 that way I can adjust the the pinion a little with the control arms.
Thanks Aton,
-Matt
 
In my opinion it sounds like you'll need a lot more pinion angle if you've got a low pinion axle and will be running 8" of lift. Your caster should work just fine at 6 degrees.

Read Crash's Dana 44 article. It will answer all of these questions plus answer a lot more you haven't thought of yet.
 
Ok thanks. I have read through the article many times, just forgot that it had mentioned from horizontal in there. So I did get the answer to my question. It is going to be a DD and after getting it up on my jig and everything 11 just didnt look like enough. I planned on going up another degree or two, so I will probably end up with 13. I just hope that its not to much.
Thanks,
-Matt
 
when i made my d44, i set the pinon angle at 13* and castor at 6*

i measured the angle on my front driveshaft with the d30 in there, came up with 12*, but my DS was pointed a little low - so 13 it was...

13 above horizontal, and castor was 6* back from vertical...

rides like a dream.
 
FWIW, I ran a Waggy 44 front end for 2 years, with the knuckles/pinion at the stock angles, and never had any troubles that I could attribute to the pinion angle. I don't run big rocks like you find out west, so clearance really wasn't much of an issue though.
 
Yeah I understand, however I have my knuckles already off the tubes so its no big deal to me anyway, especially since I work at a race car fab shop. So the welding is nothing to my boss, hes willing to help me out in any way.
-Matt
 
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