Front Driveshaft HELP!!

[cracker]

I picked up the first half of my driveline today:

 

 

And here it is placed in it's location (not bolted in):

 

 

And the front:

 

 

Notice the angle of both yolks. They ALMOST cancel themselves off and are 2.5 degrees off. I am hoping to feel almost no vibes in 4WD.

 

This was what I was suggesting earlier.

[jpnjim]

No matter what you do, I don't think you're gonna get the job done with a driveshaft that short.

 

(no matter what this guys says: ;) )

 

 

(joking aside)

Have you tried Jesse @ HAD's http://highangledriveline.com/ for his high angle stuff?

(I've read enough negative things about 'The Driveshaft Superstore' to scare me off, but research & make up your own mind).

 

'HAD' has a modified Toyota joint that works for most people, but doesn't even get in the ballpark of 62* (!).

I know he has some special built higher angle stuff when that's not enough,

I don't know if any of it will do what you want it to, but either way, if you haven't called Jesse, you probably should.

 

Atlas's are tough, but binding out & breaking CV's is gonna hurt that ft output sooner, or later.

 

Personally, I think I'd be looking at:

 

1) Doing a doubler, to add 10", or so to the ft shaft

2) and still limiting downtravel on the pumpkin side, to keep whatever shaft I get from maxing out the angle.

[BJA814]

I've been reading along on this thread, but haven't posted b/c I'm really not that knowledgeable in this area. However....I was wondering if divorce mounting the atlas was an option to add length to the drivetrain. I believe AA makes a divorce mount Atlas, but don't know if an original Atlas can be adapted. Would this even help or would it cause a problem for rear driveshaft. I'm not even sure if the idea is possible, but I figured I'd post it anyway.....anybody got any opinions?

[cracker]

Personally, I think I'd be looking at:

 

1) Doing a doubler, to add 10", or so to the ft shaft

2) and still limiting downtravel on the pumpkin side, to keep whatever shaft I get from maxing out the angle.

 

Adding distance helps with the angle for sure but it complicates the front crossmember as well as it would hang lower on the vehicle (being more open to damage by rocks, etc.)

 

Limiting the downtravel is (and has been) a decent option in the past. HIS problem is his suspension design. When it drops on the drivers side, the pinion turns down FAST. If he coverted his current set up to radius arms, the rotating pinion problem would not be an issue.

 

I had a similar set (long LCA and short UCA) up a few years back that caused similar issues including my UCA bracket got ripped off the frame (Willy/reason46 was actually there). It is a flawed design that should never be tried again.

 

I've been reading along on this thread, but haven't posted b/c I'm really not that knowledgeable in this area. However....I was wondering if divorce mounting the atlas was an option to add length to the drivetrain. I believe AA makes a divorce mount Atlas, but don't know if an original Atlas can be adapted. Would this even help or would it cause a problem for rear driveshaft. I'm not even sure if the idea is possible, but I figured I'd post it anyway.....anybody got any opinions?

 

 

Adding distance helps with the angle for sure but it complicates the front crossmember as well as it would hang lower on the vehicle (being more open to damage by rocks, etc.). Sure the crossmember can be slightly modified but you still need to consider the full suspension cycle of the front end.

 

Look at rock buggies with the engine pushed further back, a lot of them are running two piece drive lines these days.

[rokcrwler]

I have tried a non cv. and I have tried the 2 piece with carrier bearing, twice.. no good..

couple pics.. no front shaft to show the angle, but you kinda get it..

 

 

 

 

I am guessing a big part of your problems are related to your suspension design. From these pics it looks like your upper arms are close to half the length of your lower arms. This is going to greatly rotate your pinion down as the suspension droops which will probably result in binding pretty quickly.

 

I think you are going to need to redesign your suspension, lengthen your upper arms, and move there body side mounting points further back.

 

Willy

 

How come this works then? :huh???:

Image Not Found

 

Its a long arm kit for a Mega Cab Diesel..

I think I am going to try a Jesse at HAD.

[reson46]

How come this works then? :huh???:

Image Not Found

 

Its a long arm kit for a Mega Cab Diesel..

I think I am going to try a Jesse at HAD.

 

It is half a long arm kit. Suspension systems that use long lower arms with short upper arms are a crappy design. In my opinion they should be left to the mall crawlers. I'm sure it does great on the street. If it actually hit some trails that forced the suspension to travel more than a speed bump I'm sure it would have problems too.

 

Before you spend the money on an expensive driveshaft why don't you spend a little time to determine what is actually causing your problem? Put your existing driveshaft on and cycle the suspension. Use an RTI ramp, stacked tires, a forklift, etc. Then get out and look at where your driveshaft is binding and what is going on with your suspension. Once you figure out what the problem is then you can determine what you need to do to fix it instead of throwing a bunch of expensive parts at it that doesn't fix it.

 

Willy

[dakal]

x2

[reson46]

What is your front suspension set up? Your first post mentions three link so I assumed the picture with your upper control arm was mounted in the stock location on the axle side. But in your album it looks like there is an XJ with an upper wishbone front suspension. Is this your XJ? I would like to see more pictures of this, especially of the separation of the upper and lower mounting points on the axle.

 

If you are running an upper wishbone I am pretty sure I know what is going on. When you cycle the suspension compress the passenger side and let the driver side droop. Now look at your pinion angle. I would just about guarantee it will rotate down a lot. The combination of the short upper wishbone and the fact that it is mounted to the center of the axle is allowing this.

 

If this is true you really need to redesign your front suspension. It won't matter how much money you throw at a fancy driveshaft it will all be wasted unless you correct this.

 

Willy

[rokcrwler]

ok thanks, back to the drawing board..