The Stupid Lowered Questions Thread

[ccreddell]

Short answer;Yes. That is if youre talking about wedges that go between the axle and spring. The other thing you might look at is U-joints.

 

[hxc93]

I was going to do the u joints soon. They were fine before i dropped it, but i figured they would need to be replaced after lowering. I added more to my carrier bearing shim and it reduced the vibration more. I'm just not sure how high I can take it. It's a little over an inch shim now. I guess I will try some wedges and replace the ujoints and see where I'm at

 

[ccreddell]

The snout of your rearend should be pointing slightly down. Just make sure your shimming in the right direction.

 

[hxc93]

It's currently almost level. That's with the adjustment in the djm flip kit pointing it down as far as it will go. What angle at the pinion would be ideal? Should I go for the 2,4,or 6 degree shims?

 

[sewlow]

Don't guess! I've become very good at re-&-re'ing the different shims by doing that! An education by default! Lol! There is a method to measure you're pinion angle. It involves a tool that I don't have, & I would think that you don't either! It looks like a flat circle with a needle in it that points down to indicate the angle of the pinion. Kinda looks like a compass. It attaches to the rear end housing at the pinion snout by a magnet. The vehicle MUST be on a totally flat & level surface to do the measurement. Rear end or suspension shops would be the best place to have this done. Takes just a few minutes. Shouldn't cost much, if anything, to have the angle measured. The shop can then tell you which shims are required as indicated by the reading of that gauge. Because you have a flip kit, to lower the front of the pinion down, the shims will have the taper going from thin at the front to thick at the rear. My '98, with a DJM flip-kit, had no issues with this, as apparently that kit has the pinion angle compensated for within the design of the kit. Although, that truck is a SCSB with a one piece driveshaft, and no center carrier bearing. Now, my blue truck with a 2/4 drop was a whole different story! Don't get me going about that exercise in futility! Lol!

 

[sewlow]

The other thing you might look at is U-joints.

This^^^. Also, have you had your wheels balanced recently? A balancing weight may have come off. Are the wheels torqued down properly? I know that my 'SS' wheels are fussy about the torque specs. (90-110 ft. lbs.) If they are too tight, or not tightened with an even torque, they will cause a vibration. Tires in good shape? No broken sidewall cords, etc. Is the steady bearing in good shape? Or...have you inspected the driveshafts themselves for visible damage or dents. Are the balancing weights on the driveshafts still in place? Have you checked all the mounting points from the shackles to the front hangers, to make sure they're all still tight? I've been through ALL of this, and from my experience, a vibration can be caused by something that is not always visibly apparent.

 

[hxc93]

Thanks guys. I'll check into this stuff. I do have an angle finder tool and I work in a shop. Problem is none of really know much about lowering a vehicle that much. I have the adjustment in the flip kit maxed out. Even torched out some of the original spring perch to get more adjustment out of it. Anyone know what angle the pinion should be?

 

[sewlow]

Don't know about the two-piece driveshaft trucks, but on the ones with one piece, the angle should be the equal of the angle of the transmission's tail shaft. Don't know if that'll help you, though, with a two piece. *edit* Now that I think about it, the front half of the driveshaft would be an extension of the trans' angle, so that method of figuring out the angle should work.

 

[hxc93]

That makes sense. I'll do some angle measuring when I get a chance

 

[sewlow]

"Angle finder tool"! Doh! That would be a good name for it! (Need more coffee!)