why did gm....

[blazin_blazer]

why did gm put the pipe spacers on crossmember bolts inside framerail?

i've seen alot of people around here ...put them back, between crossmember and bottom of frame, as a spacer...spacing the crossmember down @1''... is this bad?

 

[GotBoykins]

Most lift kits instruct you to use those as drop spacers. The only downfall to that is lack of surface area coverage.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

The only downfall to that is lack of surface area coverage.

And that lack of surface area leads to the frame cracking in that area.

Spacing the crossmember down will hurt your front driveshaft angle.

 

[blazin_blazer]

how?

And that lack of surface area leads to the frame cracking in that area.

Spacing the crossmember down will hurt your front driveshaft angle.

i thought lowering it would help d-shaft angle?

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

i thought lowering it would help d-shaft angle?

It helps the rear angle and hurts the front angle.

When you drop the t-case it points the front output up making the angle worse.

 

[shaun89]

i believe GM originally put the spacer on the bolt to strengthen the bolt. its some weird tensile strength thing. i dont know how it works, but i guess it does!

 

[YZEATER]

it also puts your distributer closer to the firewall. it's a band aid for the rear driveshaft.

 

[ct85k10]

i believe GM originally put the spacer on the bolt to strengthen the bolt. its some weird tensile strength thing. i dont know how it works, but i guess it does!

they gives more bolt length to stretch so there is more clamping force and keeps the bolts tight

 

[tarussell]

they gives more bolt length to stretch so there is more clamping force and keeps the bolts tight

X2 !

Tom

 

[dcubb]

X3
Same reason for the spacers on the steering box bolts.

 

[obijuan]

ok so do the spacers ad the xmember go inside or below the frame rails? my k5 came with the tcase dropped and i put it back up to how i thought it would be below the rail, but i saw another truck with the xmember sitting inside the rails. which way is right?

 

[YZEATER]

the spacers go above the frame. the x-member goes below.

 

[thebird00]

I swapped mine to allow the fitting of a larger cv joint on the front driveshaft. I'd like to go back and make a different spacer to spread the load more.

 

[Stomis]

Hmmm so I dont need that 1" drop with a 4in lift? Thats coming off then...

 

[Randy92782]

It helps the rear angle and hurts the front angle.

When you drop the t-case it points the front output up making the angle worse.

I must be stupid. I just don't get this??

If it just moves everything down the same on all four bolts wouldn't it be better?? I mean if the spacers were different lengths i could understand.

Please help out a moron

 

[noJeepshere]

I must be stupid. I just don't get this??

If it just moves everything down the same on all four bolts wouldn't it be better?? I mean if the spacers were different lengths i could understand.

Please help out a moron

i think it angles the engine backwards so that its kinda pointing at the sky, that way the rear output is low and facing the rear diff and the front output is higher and looking above the diff. thats what i understood, i want to know more so that i can change this on my 81 this fall. moron

 

[obijuan]

yeah the motor mounts are the fulcrum. youre dropping the tcase mount but the motor mounts are still the same. it makes everything tilt backwards a bit. then making it like youve got a steeper front driveshaft angle.

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

I must be stupid. I just don't get this??

If it just moves everything down the same on all four bolts wouldn't it be better?? I mean if the spacers were different lengths i could understand.

Please help out a moron

The drivetrain has two sets of mounts: the motor mounts and the transmission mounts.

When you drop only the transmission mounts (i.e. lowering the t-case) it points the entire drivetrain up (it kinda pivots on the motor mounts). The fan will be a little higher up in the shroud, the distributor will get closer to the firewall, etc.

This makes the rear output angle better and the front output angle worse. If you dropped the motor mounts and transmission mounts by the same amount both angles would get better.

 

[79k20350]

i think it angles the engine backwards so that its kinda pointing at the sky, that way the rear output is low and facing the rear diff and the front output is higher and looking above the diff. thats what i understood, i want to know more so that i can change this on my 81 this fall. moron

Pretty much but the front output still lowers, but it just angles up creating a worse angle.

 

[Randy92782]

I undertand now. I'm just a simpleton