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Re: Setting Pinion Angle Question

To: Dick J <lsr_man@yahoo.com>, Land-speed List
Subject: Re: Setting Pinion Angle Question
From: Joe Timney <joetimney@dol.net>
Date: Tue, 02 Dec 2003 08:30:26 -0500
Dick,

Pinion angles for drag racing are approx. 7 degrees for leaf springs, 5
for ladderbars, 2 for 4-link. You won't have big slicks to distort the
rear springs so just match your pinion angles and let the drive shalf go
up hill. You won't feel any vibration if your suspension bushings are
tight.

joe

Dick J wrote:

> I sure hope somebody here can explain this to me. Normally, when
> setting pinion angle in a street car or street/drag car, the pinion is
> set with about 7degrees negative angle; the driveshaft angles to the
> rear of the transmission at around 3 degrees, and the transmission
> yoke has a positive setting approximately opposite (7 degrees) of what
> the pinion was. That makes zero final angles. Land Speed racers (and I
> guess Latino Low Riders as well) can confront a whole different
> problem, and I'm not sure of the solution.  Now that I have all of the
> pieces (differential, transmission, motor) mocked up between the
> Studebaker rails, I find that the transmission yoke wants to be about
> six inches lower than the pinion yoke (because I've lowered the car so
> much).  This will result in the driveshaft "decending" from the Pinion
> to the transmission at just about 3 - 4 degrees, maybe a little more.
> Geometrically, this means that if I just set the two angles upside
> down (pinion angle about 7 degrees positive, and tailshaft angle about
> 7 degrees negative)  and I'll end up with the same set-up.  However,
> since the pinion is going to try to climb the ring gear, does this
> mean that I'm going to increase vibrations rather than decrease
> them. I'm running dual trailing arms with short coil springs and a
> panhard bar.  Windup wont be so bad, so the setup might work OK with
> about 3 degrees of pinion angle - - - -but - - - -which way do I put
> it"  Three negative on the pinion, and three positive on the
> transmission is going to result in six total degrees and that seems
> totally wrong!  I can't set zero degrees on both the pinion and drive
> shaft because the front of the motor would then be about six inches
> lower than the tailshaft on the transmission??? I sure don't want to
> raise the motor up high enough to get "conventional" angles, because
> the carburetor will then be through that beautifully smooth Studebaker
> hood. Help!Dick JIn East Texas
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