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front axle wedge

RootBreaker

RootBreaker

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Ok so people say that you can put a wedge under the front leaf between the leaf and axle. Well I have that.. it is supposed to make a better driveshaft angle... question.. does the high side go towards the front or back? Im not sure if mine is in correctly...
Thanks
Root
 
Depends....

You want about 4 - 6* of caster in the front end. That means that the upper kinpin should be "laid back" more than the lower bearing.

Fortunately, most of the steering arms (at least the ORD ones I've used) are NICE and FLAT, so you can lay an angle finder right on top of them and measure what you've got now. Be sure the truck is on level ground, and the wheels are pointed straight ahead.

Edited by Greg72 2005.02.21

If the caster measurement is less than 4* (too negative), then the fat part of the shim needs to go in the back to help the pinion to come down and "lay back" the steering axis. If the caster measurement is too high (as mine was) you need to install the fat part of the shim in the front to raise the pinion and help to pull out some of the excess caster.

Somewhat counter-intuitive but as I was reminded, this IS the way it works!

:cool1:


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Last edited:
Greg72 said:
If the caster measurement is less than 4* (too negative), then the fat part of the shim needs to go in the back to help the pinion to come down and "lay back" the steering axis. If the caster measurement is too high (as mine was) you need to install the fat part of the shim in the front to raise the pinion and help to pull out some of the excess caster.
Click to expand...
fixed it for ya ;)
 
BAH! :mad:

I remember getting all frustrated during the ACTUAL install of those shims....writing about it is even tougher! Big83Chevy4x4 is CORRECT! :waytogo:


Here's a pic that shows it better:

Mvc_389f.jpg



You can see that the "fat" part of the shim is in the front. The problem with my front axle is that the spring pin was moved forward 1". That means that the axle sits further up on the "smile" of the spring than normal....rotating the pinion DOWN and making the steering axis too LAID-BACK. I had close to 10* of caster in the front suspension.

By adding the 6* shims the way I did, the pinion was rotated UP (towards the oil pan) and it helped to remove the excess caster. As a nice side-effect, it also IMPROVED my front driveline angle....something that usually doesn't happen when people are correcting caster.


.
 
Not to hijack but if I'm runnin 8" lift up front, how much * would be recommended and wheres a good place to get steel shims for a good price?

Granted theres no exact way of knowing how much * I should use until the springs are on but someone here hasta have 8" springs up front with a good idea on the *.
 
Thank you! This is what I understood to be the "truth" @ caster but wasn't sure enough to post it for others to use as "good" information and go off and make changes. I'm glad to finally see this in writing.



Greg72 said:
Depends....

You want about 4 - 6* of caster in the front end. That means that the upper kinpin should be "laid back" more than the lower bearing.

Fortunately, most of the steering arms (at least the ORD ones I've used) are NICE and FLAT, so you can lay an angle finder right on top of them and measure what you've got now. Be sure the truck is on level ground, and the wheels are pointed straight ahead.

If the caster measurement is less than 4* (too negative), then the fat part of the shim needs to go in the front to help the pinion to come down and "lay back" the steering axis. If the caster measurement is too high (as mine was) you need to install the fat part of the shim in the back to raise the pinion and help to pull out some of the excess caster.

:cool1:


.
Click to expand...
 
You'd better be sure the read the whole thread before you make any decisions about which way the shims go!!....


I got my description backwards on the first attempt (maybe I should go back and "edit" that post to prevent further confusion?) :dunno:



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lol, are you saying them things are stock? yikes! lol!

j
 
jekbrown said:
lol, are you saying them things are stock? yikes! lol!

j
Click to expand...


Yep. Like I said , yer a 1st Gen...... NOOOB! :D

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tru dat, but maybe if I chop my 2nd gens top you 1st gen guys will let me hang around with ya. :D

j
 
Those of of you rockin a 10bolt(not sure if that matters) with 8" front springs, what * shims are you using? Ive always heard 1* per " of lift....
 
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