I am in process of replacing my original HO52 rear axle with a Chevy 14-bolt.
I have the axle loosely in place with the new spring perches, U-bolts, and plates from Ruff Stuff and the next step is to set the pinion angle and weld the spring perches in place. Everything I read says to set the pinion angle at ride height which makes a lot of sense but my truck doesn't have anything mounted to the frame except the bare cab so clearly not the ride height it will be when fully assembled. I also do not have a driveshaft yet (pending final axle installation and measurements) so I can not install it and measure it's angle.
Most of the information I have found says the engine/transmission angle and the pinion angle should be within 1 degree of each other and the engine/transmission should be angled down 2-3 degrees. When I set up my engine and transmission mounts I aimed for 3 degrees and believe I am pretty close to that. If the pinoin angle should be the same then I should be aiming for 3 degrees but I also read that for leaf srpings the angle should be 5-7 degrees leading to some confusion.
I do have a 2 post lift but the lift points being on the frame makes the ride height issue that much worse.
Any recommendation regarding setting the pinion angle would be appreciated.
