Thread: drive shaft pinion angle
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10-25-2004 08:03 AM #7
Oh.......let's throw some more fuel on the fire!!
You haven't told us how you plan to use the truck. With any of the four bar setups you're looking at coilovers (or bags) for suspension. If you're never, ever, ever going to use your truck to haul anything heavier than a six pack that might work okay.
Warning, some of this is personal preference, justified where necessary!
In my experience the rear four bar arrangements where all four bars are parallel to the frame rails, and are typically mounted as outboard as the axle and frame allow, give the least compliant ride. Great for straight ahead, less friendly on turns and twisties. They leave plenty of room for exhaust routing and are easier to setup. Try to visiualize one end of the axle going over a hump, or the truck leaning in a turn, and imagine how trying to twist those two parallel bars in different arcs can cause some bind.
A more "useful" arrangement is a triangulated four bar. The lower links are similarly placed as the parallel four bars, but the uppers point in toward the center of the vehicle. Because of the different polar moments of the bars, (do the same visualization as above) the upper bar isn't fighting the lower bar. You end up with a better ride, and still have good control. This is essentially the same design the OEM auto guys came up with years ago. They have talented engineers who know about these things. Exhaust routing can sometimes be a challenge, but not insurmountable. Works with bags too.
One other setup that utilizes rear coil springs (or bags again) is a trailing arm type. Look under GM pickups, NASCAR cars, and hot rods with a Pete & Jakes/SoCal arrangement. These use two long bars (P&J calls them a ladder bar) angling toward the center as they go forward, and then some sort of upper locator bar.
All of the coil setups, except the triangulated 4 bar, need a panhard bar or watts link to control lateral movement. Yet
another item to interfere with exhaust.
If you plan to still have some truck function then don't dismiss leaf springs. For all around utility, ride, and reliability they're tough to beat. Not the best ride and handling, but has pluses in the load carrying department.
Just depends on what you want and how you're going to use it.Your Uncle Bob, Senior Geezer Curmudgeon
It's much easier to promise someone a "free" ride on the wagon than to urge them to pull it.
Luck occurs when preparation and opportunity converge.





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