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Driver angle

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86Blazer305

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New to the page and wheeling. Looking for some advice. Recently purchased an '86 Blazer and put a 4 inch lift and 35x12.50 tires on. When I was installing the lift, instructions said that the t-case xmember needed to be lowered using the bolt spacers on the truck. Now for the problem: after doing so the xmember hangs too low and I know this will cause clearance issues. Is there any way around this so I can put the xmember back in original position?
 
Double cardan driveshaft will let you put it back where it belongs, they aren't cheap but they solve a lot of driveline angle issues and vibrations. They also let you point the rear piñon up at a better angle to reduce breakage and wear on the u joints.
 
Leaving the t case up is also a lot better on the front drive line
 
Ok awesome. Using the double Cardin joints will require new drive shafts though right? Not opposed to getting drive shafts that are longer since the stock shafts are almost fully extended
 
Also in order to move the pinion angle up ill have to grind the spring mounts off, rotate the axle up, and reweld right?
 
86Blazer305 said:
Also in order to move the pinion angle up ill have to grind the spring mounts off, rotate the axle up, and reweld right?
Click to expand...

It depends on your rear lift method how you'll need to rotate the pinion. Grinding and rotating is the cheapest if you own a welder, but you can use shims or angled blocks to get some rotation also. If you used a flip kit in the rear your pinion will already be rotated up

Quick read on driveline geometry..,

http://www.4xshaft.com/driveline101.html
 
86Blazer305 said:
New to the page and wheeling. Looking for some advice. Recently purchased an '86 Blazer and put a 4 inch lift and 35x12.50 tires on. When I was installing the lift, instructions said that the t-case xmember needed to be lowered using the bolt spacers on the truck. Now for the problem: after doing so the xmember hangs too low and I know this will cause clearance issues. Is there any way around this so I can put the xmember back in original position?
Click to expand...

Hey, Welcome to CK5

And welcome to a new world of where to spend your overtime money, life savings and social security checks. Answers and smart aleck remarks are Free. :whistle2:
 
Rear end is currently angle cut blocks which did increase pinion angle but it looks to me like it needs to come up more to straighten the rear shaft out. I think grind and reweld is human me my method of choice.


Thanks for the welcome also. Glad to find a forum for these specific trucks.
 
86Blazer305 said:
Rear end is currently angle cut blocks which did increase pinion angle but it looks to me like it needs to come up more to straighten the rear shaft out. I think grind and reweld is human me my method of choice.


Thanks for the welcome also. Glad to find a forum for these specific trucks.
Click to expand...

Always glad to add another brother or sister to the CK5 family. Ask away and watch what happens.:wink1:
 
I've had both, currently doing one that drops the case. I didn't have vibrations in the ones I didn't lower the t-case. That said, the 1" or so really makes that much difference? what kind of wheeling do you do?
 
The true purpose of those little spacers is to increase the bolt length for better clamping force than the 3/8" or whatever it is through the two pieces of steel. Lift kit makers have perpetuated the myth that they are for spacing the crossmember down, but that puts all the force on a couple small places.

You can't "take angle out" of the driveshaft by rotating the pinion. The pinion needs to be parallel to the T-case so that the movements of the front and rear U-joint are equal and opposite, to minimize vibration.

The search function here is your friend, so look up "double cardan", "slip yoke eliminator", "shackle flip" and "driveshaft length" to see what your options are. Then you can decide if you want to go quick and easy with some angle shims and lengthening your driveshaft a little or go all out for a setup that doesn't vibrate at all.
 
The wheeling I do is a 50/50 mix of mud and trails. As for dropping the case xmember. Without dropping it the shafts would have bound up while driving because of the angle the yokes would've been at. I've been thinking about what I should do to put the xmember back where it needs to go. So I'll go do some looking around on here to get an idea
 
If I was looking for clearance, I'd clock the transfer case and make a new cross member so that the t-case remains above the bottom of the frame. I'd also change the rear yoke from slip yoke to fixed yoke - by putting the slip yoke in the driveshaft like the front has. As I said before, I'm doing mine for u-joint angles - last night I got the springs temp'd into place and I really like the less-then 3* on either end.... but it's not a rock bouncer, it's to haul my rock bouncer.
 
I think that's what I'll end up doing. Never been a a hug fan of slip yokes on trail rigs but since mines basically stock it's what I've got to work with for now.
 
there are less-expensive ways of fixing that because earlier (NP203 and NP 205) rigs (not late NP205, as I'm sure someone will pop up and point out there were some with a slip yoke) have the slip yoke in the driveshaft - and you get a cast-iron case as bonus. If you find a round, not figure 8, NP 205, you can get a clocking ring for it and they're not terribly expensive... because the comparison - getting the slip yoke eliminator kit and a new driveshaft could easily top $1,000 - all to 'save' a NP208. Though if money were no object. I'd do a black box then a NP205 - expensive to be sure, but cheaper then getting the gear ratio changed in the differentials...

and finally, if you do go with a NP 205 and clocking ring, do build a support that fully supports the 205 from the frame rails... otherwise the next weak link is the transmission case.
 
If you want to lower the T-case, you can lay flat stock or even heavy square tube between the frame and crossmember. There are even some kits for it. The idea is to spread the force out instead of concentrated on the small spacers, which has bend some frame rails.

518VnFzZ7qL._SX355_.jpg
 
I'd stay away from TC lowering. I messed around with a conventional driveshaft and lowering the TC and got tired of dealing with the angles, worsening the geometry on the front shaft, and the like. A Blazer's not like a truck, the short wheelbase means even relatively minor lifts (4"+) will start to give you driveline hassles. I just spent the money on the CV shaft and didn't look back. Plus, when you inevitably decide you need more lift, you've already got the hardware that you need. Also, make sure you get a pinion angle gauge to check for yourself to get your angles right. It can vary from truck to truck depending on tires, lift, axles, etc.
 
Just put it back where it belongs, it's only a 4" lift.

You should see the new GM spacers. GM combined the nut and spacer so people would quit putting them together wrong....

Martin
 
So in other words I should just raise the tc back up and get a rear double Cardin shaft?
 
Seems excessive for a 4" lift. Did you even try it without dropping the transfer case?

Martin
 
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