Static Pinion Angle Thoughts?

[Ilikemtb999]

Just measured. Center of u joint to center of u joint is about 29.5" long on the stock shaft.

 

[RickTheEngineer]

That's how long mine ended up being too. I am wondering if maybe my driveshaft is wider that other's? None the less, do you think if I got it lengthened it might correct my problems? I can't find an SYE for the np208 nearly as easily as the 205!

 

[Ilikemtb999]

There's only one SYE kit I know of and it involves drilling into the output shaft.

Id go double cardan shaft and move the spring mounts so the pinion points at the yoke. That's what I've got with my axle swap and it's much smoother than it was stock.

 

[86m1028]

Wow !!!
DO NOT drive it with the driveshaft like that.

I would send those rear springs back !!!
Something is difinately wrong with that setup.

 

[86m1028]

That's how long mine ended up being too. I am wondering if maybe my driveshaft is wider that other's? None the less, do you think if I got it lengthened it might correct my problems? I can't find an SYE for the np208 nearly as easily as the 205!

The dodge 208's have a fixed yoke. You might try searching.
OR you could swap to a 241 there are slip yoke kits for those.
Fix the spring issue 1st.

 

[richingalveston]

The best money you could spend is to send those springs back and get your money back.
Go buy front 4 inch tough country ez rides from ord. get the shackle flip and use your stock rear springs.

You are still going to have a t-case problem. The best you can do is go fixed yoke but if not you should still have to lengthen the drive shaft. The slip yoke drive shaft is not good with high angles but can work just have to get it just right.

Even a double cardon joint at the t-case may have to be ground. I had to grind mine but my 205 case is raised and I have 5 inches of lift.

You should not have to fab anything to bolt their springs on. I would spend the $100 and get all of my money back and go else where. Sounds like they made a change you need them to pay for by getting your money back.

 

[RickTheEngineer]

I've got an update for y'all... Rough country ain't gonna take anything back and they are pressed on it. That's okay honestly, I am not too flustered about it, but rather I am going to try to find a solution. Here goes...

Currently my options are this... I called several driveline shops and found a guy who can lengthen my dshaft for $120-200 depending on how much is needed. But here is the catch... I am going to make sure my tcase is dropped, and also have my pinion adjusted to match those angles. I am not sure if that is going to be enough to fix the ujoint rubbing situation (see pics on previous page). That pic was taken with the tcase up in stock height, and also one can see just how short the shaft really is. If it is lengthened I am hoping that will reduce the angles by a bit, and a tcase drop might help a little more. Double cardian setups are nice, but my wallet wont let me put her on a diet right now :/ I am so sorry if I come off as incredibly cheap, I want to do the right thing, but I am honestly focused on getting on the road again, so bare with my folks!

Do y'all think this could be the solution? Or is it just too risky. If anyone has questions I should be able to provide more info if necessary... Sorry for all the questions!

 

[86m1028]

DO NOT drop the t-case.
You will just be making things worse for yourself.
OR if you don't care about the frt shaft, pull the t-case, make it 2wd
It will make your driveshaft a lot longer & fix your angles.

LEAVE the t-case alone, choose what style rear shaft your gonna go with & adjust rear pinion, then build drive shaft accordingly.

Do do it RIGHT the 1ST time & it will be cheaper in the long run.

 

[Chaski]

Sell a kidney and go with a CV. If you are feeling cheap you can get a slip yoke style CV, but they are not the best since it is more weight to support with the bushing. At least that would eliminate the cost of a slip yoke eliminator kit.

 

[RickTheEngineer]

I'll make some phone calls and see what all the prices are... looks like a CV style driveshaft (without a SYE) runs about $700 or s... I'll try to make everything work without touching the tcase, but it really begs the question... I still wonder why others who bought the rough country 4" lift kit for their M1009's don't have this problem... I'm curious if my driveshaft is actually the stock one or not because it sure looks like it... to my amazement, many of the driveshaft shops I called don't really wanna touch it... (either to lengthen or to do CV stuff!) I feel like worst case id have to return everything and do 2" but I'm praying I can get this 4" kit to work, it looks great with it

 

[86m1028]

Post the part #'s on the rear springs.
You talk about sending the whole kit back & going with a 2in.
Why not get the correct rear springs for your blazer ????

Your talking to the wrong driveshaft company's if they don't feel comfortable
lengthening it or building one.
Find a REAL driveline shop !

 

[RickTheEngineer]

The part number for the rough country springs are (8200) and they are correct for my truck, the problem was the shims were wrong which I got that fixed. So all the other suspension components were perfect otherwise, it's just that for some reason my driveshaft isn't liking it. I posted a link to the kit I bought, it was the right one otherwise! just gotta get creative with the angles I suppose

 

[86m1028]

The reason I ask is aside from the "shims" I have never seen a 4in kit pull the drive shaft that far back (in your pic)
Ive worked at a 4 wheel drive shop in the past. I have installed 100's of lift kits & only seen this issue when the wrong part was supplied. Is your center pin "centered" on your spring packs ? OR is it offset forward or rearward ?
See if there is an Inland truck parts shop near you. They can build you a driveshaft for what you need.

 

[RickTheEngineer]

Hmm I see... You know, here is what I have concluded to hopefully end all the frustration. I called up rough country one last time, and after quite a long call and eventually making it to the manager, they agreed to take it all back, $100 shipping included at no loss to me... Ill even be able to keep the brake lines. Now for the meat and potatoes of my question. I still want to try to add a lift, heck even if it's 2 inches I'll do it. I love my 33's but I want them to not rub and I'd like a little more articulation. Here is what I want to as you guys. I was looking around and comparing lift kits ranging from skyjacker, to tuff country and more. I noticed that some have shims, some don't. ALL the kits that have the shims say to point the widest part of the shim towards the rear bumper. However, when I did that with the kit I have now, that left me a full 8 or so degrees above parallel with the Tcase. This makes me lose some confidence on what I really should order and whether or not this whole endeavor will be possible without having to put my wallet in my blender haha. I would love suggestions on good lift kits that work on m1009's along with some opinions on what is the best way to do it. Plus, I wonder why they all say to place the shims in that direction when it was so incredible off for me. Just thought I'd also mention that I couldn't be more thankful for all the support on this forum. I never believed that such a community would have soooo much to offer. Thanks everyone, seriously.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I have 2" of lift and (almost) never had rubbing issues with 33's even at full stuff. I did buzz the rear corner of the front fender barely at full turn and full stuff once on the trail but I try not to get in that situation. Now I have the same lift but with 35's and I just clearanced mine.


I have tuff country front springs and stock rears with a shackle flip and longer shackles.


4" is not needed at all with 33" tires and actually using it offroad. You don't even need a lift to run 33's for mild wheeling.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

Forgot to add that $700 is insane for a cv shaft. I think mine was $350 with yoke at a reputable driveshaft shop. They just wanted a few measurements and I got it next day.

 

[richingalveston]

do yourself a favor and call ORD. get new front springs and shackle flip the back, no shims needed. IF all you want is 33's go with 2 iches but can't do shackle flip or future cross over unless you go 4

 

[Ilikemtb999]

do yourself a favor and call ORD. get new front springs and shackle flip the back, no shims needed. IF all you want is 33's go with 2 iches but can't do shackle flip or future cross over unless you go 4

You can, just not with ORD parts.

 

[RickTheEngineer]

So here is the current update. I decided to go pursue a double cardan driveshaft but that's not without its own problems. I have not done a shackle flip as the lift kit I have is 4 new 4" lift springs all around. Here is what I am about to get myself into... As the truck sits, the transfer case output is 0* and the driveshaft is 17* and the pinion ON THE LEAF is .5*. Here is the problem. With a double cardan shaft, I will have to point the pinion in line with the shaft (maybe 1-2* below to account for acceleration axle wrap). However, that means I would need to shim the thing like 16* which is obviously insane. But what can I do to try to rectify the issue? I know some of you recommended the shackle flip but of course that would mean I have to exchange lift kits which is very hard to do in my case because Rough Country is being a bit difficult with the return if I have to go that route. What should I do? Thanks in advance.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I thought you said they'd take it back for free? If you're looking to actually go offroad with this then get rid of that non flexing rough country junk.


You could do a 52" spring up front and get you your 4" of lift (aka put your stock rear springs in the front). Then get some 56" springs and a shackle flip for the rear.

Or get tuff country or custom springs from ORD and a shackle flip for the rear. You can get them in a 2" or 4" lift.