danlong

iTrader: (2)

So do you think removing the shim would help? That would point my rear down further and theoretically put me at 4.5* since it's a 3* shim. I didn't have as much time as expected today so I didn't get to try it out like I planned.

I suppose cutting the carrier bearing mount would also help, but I'd prefer to get rid of that shim if possible and not cut anything.

UNBROKEN

iTrader: (1)

4.5 will also likely get you some vibrations. I usually aim for 3 myself.
I'd stop at any 4wd shop and get a steel shim that puts you between 3 and 4. They're cheap.

rojizostang

I would hate to advise you to remove or modify a portion of the welded mount, and since there's no spacer it obviously wouldn't give you an idea then if raising the carrier bearing would help. Too late now but it probably would have been advisable to check your angles before installing the flip kit and then trying to match it afterwards.

Also, since there's a permanently mounted carrier bearing, none of the angles at the back of the transmission should change, and shouldn't be a factor in what's causing your shudder, since the mount hasn't been altered yet.

FWIW, moving shims around didn't really help my truck, just raising the carrier bearing is the only thing that made any significant difference.

It might be a lot of work, but if there's a part of the carrier mount that can be trimmed to raise the bearing, it may help. Of course the problem then is that you've modified the mount and if it doesn't help any you would probably be pretty pissed off. But, if the mount can be trimmed and then a new spacer could be fabricated to replace the part you removed if it didn't help might be an option for you. You might be able to fashion a new spacer of sorts perhaps from some galvanized conduit (just make spacers for the bolts themselves to go under the bearing to return the bearing to its original position) or perhaps if you have access to some other I beam or unistrut style material to fashion a more palatable spacer, so to speak.

It really all depends on how much the shudder bothers you, I suppose, as to what you're willing to do to lessen or alleviate it.

For me it was a simple choice since there was a spacer that I removed that got me headed in the right direction. I did trim part of the mount also. The mount on my truck is welded, but it had a section welded to the cross-member itself that I removed and mounted the bearing directly to the top part of cross-member. I don't know what yours looks like so it's hard to say if any of this makes sense.

Some of the flip kits actually advise (if I'm not mistaken) to modify the mount....at least that's what I heard on the forums somewhere.

Oh, btw, maybe it goes without saying, but when checking pinion angles, you want the truck to be sitting with its weight on all four corners so the suspension is in its normal "running" position. You don't want jack stands under the front somewhere allowing the front wheels to hang and then have weight on the back tires as the suspension height won't be accurate because the weight won't be proportioned the same as when sitting on all four wheels.

rojizostang

Oh, here's some reading for you. It's from s197forum, and there's tons of debate about the effectiveness of checking/changing pinon angles. Lot's of arguing back and forth.

http://www.s197forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8330

UNBROKEN

iTrader: (1)

The McGaughys kits come with a new carrier bearing bracket. It does involve cutting the OEM stuff out. I didn't use the one from my kit as they say not all trucks need it so I tried without it first and got lucky.
I'd let it go for $50 shipped if anyone needs one.

rojizostang

Well there you go. I must have gotten an early kit as there was no provision for remounting the bearing. Thanks for the confirmation.

rojizostang

So I had the truck up in the air today for a little exhaust work, and decided to snap a pic of how the carrier bearing is mounted. New holes had to be drilled as the originals wouldn't work. Lifting the bearing up probably about 1.5 inches above its original location deflects the position where it aligns with the cross member which caused new holes to be a necessity.

danlong

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the input guys, and sorry it's taken awhile to respond but I wound up at the ER with my daughter last night until about 4 AM. I read through a decent chunk of that S197 thread while waiting but it didn't provide much insight or solid info from what I saw.

As you've probably seen by now, the carrier bearing mount has to be cut out but can then be mounted back to the crossmember that it's welded to. Some provide a new bracket, others just provide bolts from what I've seen.

Regarding my measurements, and based on what I've read on how to calculate the angle, I'm actually at 6.3*. The pinion is down at -3.9* and the driveshaft is up at 2.4*, leading me to think I need a larger shim to get myself into the 3-4* range. It seems to me that if I raised the carrier bearing, I'd be increasing the driveshaft angle and my overall angle even more. Am I wrong on this?

I definitely wish I had measured everything beforehand to compare with, but that time is now past...

UNBROKEN

iTrader: (1)

You're looking for the difference between the angles, not adding them together.

danlong

iTrader: (2)

I'm referencing the bottom of this page on how they show to measure and calculate.
http://www.wolferacecraft.com/pinionangle.aspx

Using a 90* reference, my angles would be 86.1 (pinion) and 92.4 (DS), so 86.1 - 92.4= -6.3.