pinion angle/ driveshaft issues HELP**

[newoldscottsdale77]

A couple of months ago while out wheeling i managed to bend the ubolts outward on my 1310 yoke allowing the ujoint caps to fly off. After that I limped her home and she sat all winter for a TBI swap. Post swap i took her out on a shakedown run and i managed to break off one side of the slip yoke on the driveshaft and at the axle. i purchased a 1350 yoke and driveshaft as a replacement but i know they have less of an operating range. Im running a Dana 60 with the pinion pointed up at 5* running a cv shaft ( measured with angle finder on the flat webbing that rides alongside the pinion). I’m a little confused with the caster and understand how important it is. l read I should have optimally 8* of caster so should I get a 3* shim and rotate my pinion up? This is an offroad rig that I very rarely run on the street. I have heard several times that my pinion angle is causing these problems. Thank you in advance

my 52's are completely flat and im in the market for replacements ( to level the truck and gain some uptravel so my pinion angle might get worse, so should i just get a 4-6* in preperation?

 

[offshift]

Your pinion angle and your caster are not necessarily the same. When the axle was welded together it should have been welded so that your pinion angle would work with your drive shaft and your caster would be correct. If your springs do not have angled shims in them now I would guess your caster is still correct and that the 5* of pinion angle was set to work with the drive shaft and transfer case.

If it is ever driven on the street I wouldn't mess with the caster to much. By rotating the pinion up you would be actually decreasing your caster which could lead to poor centering of your steering and a lot of wander. If its strictly trailered to go low speed wheeling I am not sure how much caster would matter.