Thanks for all the information, especially the video (it's great).
I am not sure where I heard that the engine/transmission should be angled down to the rear about 3 degrees but I believe I have found the information to be consistent with any build information I have reviewed. It is not unique to our vintage of trucks or SBC engine installations.
Thanks Joe H for the clarification regarding the need (or lack of) for additional angle with leaf springs. I am certainly not building a drag car and don't plan on any full power launch attempts so I will plan to get my pinion angle as close to the engine/transmission angle as I can.
I think if I put the chassis up on the lift and place jack stands under the rear axle I can lower the lift to put the chassis weight on the axle and then using a come along pull the chassis down to approximate spring loads at "normal" ride height. I do not have a good feel for how much the springs deflect under normal loads but something will be closer than nothing.
Kevin, I think the phasing is really a function of the drive shaft construction assuming that the two ends are welded in place to the tube. If you have a telescoping drive shaft that has the front and back connected by a spline or multiple in-line drive shafts with a spline connection then phasing comes into play. I am anticipating a single drive shaft when I get that far and do not anticipate needing to deal with phasing concerns.
