looking at front axle
#1
looking at front axle
i was under the truck today and started looking at the front driveshaft. from what i saw, it only attaches to the truck by two points. if someone were to lift their truck higher then the CVs could you lower your front axle easily? what would this do to gears, drive shaft, etc?
#2
The drive shaft is the biggest problem. Because it's so short, you need a little longer one, and a CV type rather than just u-joints. Doc has a real 4x4 lift like you're thinking of and can tell you what he experienced with it.
The shorter the drive shaft, the more the angle from the transfer case to the shaft, and shaft to front pinion counts. Front setups are the most demanding, usually.
The shorter the drive shaft, the more the angle from the transfer case to the shaft, and shaft to front pinion counts. Front setups are the most demanding, usually.
#3
If you are saying you want to just drop the axle, you can not. That would lift you but then the spindles (or what ever they are called) would be to short.. My lift came with new ones. The driveshaft was not an issue at first but then it began to fail. So I replaced it before it did. They put in universals instead of the CV to fix my prob.
#4
yea...i figured the driveshaft would be the biggest pain in the process. they usually are. theres a driveshaft place just up the road from here, if i were to get a longer, thicker one with CVs would it be alright? im just tryin to get as many project ideas as i can to see what i will/will not, can/can not do.
#5
Yes but that would only fix the driveshaft issue. You still need to deal with the control arms.. By moving the axle your arms will not be able to give enough down travel to keep the stock spindles. That is what the SL or traildisaster kits contain.. Bolts, Lift blocks, and the LIFTED SPINDLES.
#6
#7
#11
^^^did i not say that i would do it after i lifted the truck? if i havent:
I may lower may front axle ONLY after i lift the truck. i was just looking a solution to a lift higher then 4" or so. just a thought and wanted to know if there were truly only two points of contact with the frame.
I may lower may front axle ONLY after i lift the truck. i was just looking a solution to a lift higher then 4" or so. just a thought and wanted to know if there were truly only two points of contact with the frame.
#12
#14
What Doc is saying, is with a PROPER lift kit, the CV angle is NOT a problem. The "freak out" occurs from budget lifts that push the suspension down without moving the axle(or more properly stated, dropping the differential down). Think t-bar crank and things like that. Putting lift spindles on a 4x4 without dropping the axle, similar problems.
#15
#16
The problems mainly run into are on the driveshaft. At this point, not having a 4x4 and only having read about these problems, there's not much more I can clarify, lol.
Extreme driveshaft angles are tough to manage, requiring special CV's and/or u-joints. The shorter the driveshaft, the more the angle changes with lift, so the front one is more critical. And that's about all I know -- I really haven't researched where the problem really occurs or how extreme it gets, sorry.
Extreme driveshaft angles are tough to manage, requiring special CV's and/or u-joints. The shorter the driveshaft, the more the angle changes with lift, so the front one is more critical. And that's about all I know -- I really haven't researched where the problem really occurs or how extreme it gets, sorry.
#17
^^^youre still my hero mr. griggs. i knew the driveshaft would be a problem, thats simple geometry there. think of where the shaft meets the t-case as the center of a circle, the shaft as the radius of the circle and the "pumpkin" as a point on the outer edge of the circle. the point has to stay the same length away unless you change the radius length. and since the t-case doesnt rotate, thats where you get problems with u-joints and such.
does anybody know wut kits lower the axle and which ones dont? i also wouldnt mind knowing why there is a limit on the height range of a torsion bar ranger with stock-like components (meaning a simple lift, no straight axles or extreme movement of parts to acheive lift). i understand that CVs cant be at wierd angles, but if you lower your axle and get a longer driveshaft, whats the problem?
now, with the knuckles being wierd or whatever. arent the holes in the knuckle of a lift kit lower then the stock ones, so if you lowered the axle to line back up with the hole, wut is the problem there?
does anybody know wut kits lower the axle and which ones dont? i also wouldnt mind knowing why there is a limit on the height range of a torsion bar ranger with stock-like components (meaning a simple lift, no straight axles or extreme movement of parts to acheive lift). i understand that CVs cant be at wierd angles, but if you lower your axle and get a longer driveshaft, whats the problem?
now, with the knuckles being wierd or whatever. arent the holes in the knuckle of a lift kit lower then the stock ones, so if you lowered the axle to line back up with the hole, wut is the problem there?
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