Driveshafts and Lifts

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shiftpro

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We've been doing it wrong all along...
 

Frankenchevy

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with an 8" lift, wouldn't shimming or rewelding the axle's spring pads be a good idea? otherwise it'll have some pretty extreme driveline angles, right?
 

shiftpro

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hirschdalechevy

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My blazer has 9 inch , all suspension lift , built for street and off road use , so this is what I did.

lowered the t-case 1 inch
custom built driveshafts
front end not rolled up
rear end rolled up (perches)
sway bar removed

Rolling the front up make's your square drive like crap , (mine is flat , no shim) , i used all stock spicer parts , longest slip yoke I could get and had to grind out some spots in the double cardan for downward travel, (you would not need to do that on a street truck), and had to be longer as well.

The rear shaft is just longer , I had to play with different shims to get the angle right , to have no vibrations and no wheel hop. Your t-case angle and pinion angle should be the same with a u-joint shaft , (mine is not but works well) but that is hard to do with big lift so having a double cardan shaft made is the way to go if you dont want to mess with trying to figure out a sweet spot with shims but you may still have to play with it a bit to be perfect, (rolling diff up).

I am not a fan of slip yoke's in the t-case so I have nothing to say on that ,

You will also have to have a steering box brace kit , (big tire's kill frame's)

Crossover steering is the way to go , but if you dont go that route you will need the tallest steering arm you can find and a drop pittman arm as well. Then if your draglink is way off from flat you may need an s shaped , dropped draglink as well.

New 8 inch springs will come with shims on them but that will mess with your caster a bit , (i took mine off) , but they help driveline angle. Get your square all set up and dive it around without a front shaft until you get it to drive the way you want , (playing with shims) and then get a driveline made.

My blazer wheels hard and sails down the highway at 80mph like a dream
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hirschdalechevy

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At what point do you need to fix the steering?
My girls truck has a 6inch on it and it drive's good , but I may put crossover on it anyway,(stronger and improves steering all around imo.) I would for sure go crossover on anything over 6 inch lift, (just me).

Her truck is really sweet , 78 silverado , roller motor.

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Iowan

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shiftpro

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Aug 31, 2012
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BC Canada
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shiftpro
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73-87
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1500, 2500, 3500
Engine Size
350, 383, 454, 496!
My blazer has 9 inch , all suspension lift , built for street and off road use , so this is what I did.

lowered the t-case 1 inch
custom built driveshafts
front end not rolled up
rear end rolled up (perches)
sway bar removed

Rolling the front up make's your square drive like crap , (mine is flat , no shim) , i used all stock spicer parts , longest slip yoke I could get and had to grind out some spots in the double cardan for downward travel, (you would not need to do that on a street truck), and had to be longer as well.

The rear shaft is just longer , I had to play with different shims to get the angle right , to have no vibrations and no wheel hop. Your t-case angle and pinion angle should be the same with a u-joint shaft , (mine is not but works well) but that is hard to do with big lift so having a double cardan shaft made is the way to go if you dont want to mess with trying to figure out a sweet spot with shims but you may still have to play with it a bit to be perfect, (rolling diff up).

I am not a fan of slip yoke's in the t-case so I have nothing to say on that ,

You will also have to have a steering box brace kit , (big tire's kill frame's)

Crossover steering is the way to go , but if you dont go that route you will need the tallest steering arm you can find and a drop pittman arm as well. Then if your draglink is way off from flat you may need an s shaped , dropped draglink as well.

New 8 inch springs will come with shims on them but that will mess with your caster a bit , (i took mine off) , but they help driveline angle. Get your square all set up and dive it around without a front shaft until you get it to drive the way you want , (playing with shims) and then get a driveline made.

My blazer wheels hard and sails down the highway at 80mph like a dream
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Nice truck!
Great build!
Good post!
 

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