Thread:

how do you measure the degree of the engine to the v drive?

Originally Posted by Running_on_Empty

ok got it....I just wanted to make sure....thank you very much for your help

No problemo amigo!..

No mater how you do it, its very time consuming we use a mock up block and a laser pointer. Can't tell you anything more then that it's top secret. Just joking next time we have it all set up i will post some pictures. LOL

Originally Posted by GoFastRacer

On the v-drive flange and the face of the block, both have to be the same. put the finder on the driveline and it should be 1-2 degrees!. Tip: Buy three of them and put one on the v-drive and motor and one on the driveline, saves a ton of time since you can read all at one time!..

GFR has it, but the one thing you need to remember is the heigth of the motor in relation to the angle of the V-Drive. And do not get it all set up at zero difference between motor and v-drive or you will a vibration only your'e wife or girlfriend will like. Thats where a string line comes in real handy. 2 cent and change back. M

Oh Hell That's no fun. M

Originally Posted by ol guy

And do not get it all set up at zero difference between motor and v-drive

That's where the 1-2 degrees come in, can't be dead nuts!..

Originally Posted by Rexone

I've seen guys run them straight. I prefer about 1-2º. Max is 3º for high speed use.

Crank and vdrive shafts should be parallel but can be offset as above.

See third pic down for illustration.

The above link is in the tech links of the on the dyno forum too.

That is 1 to 3 degrees max per u-joint, isn't it?

What Rex is saying is correct... as previously stated, the offset angles cause the bearings to rotate inside the u joint and make them last longer.
That said, when we built or drag car (full tube chassis 9.90 car) Chris Alston told us to make the drive line straight at ride height (no offset). I asked him about the u-joint issue and he said it didn't matter that much and it took a certain amount of energy away that could go into making the car go down the track... Thought it might be negligible but we set it up as he suggested. I raced that car for 10 years, thousands of passes driving to the starting line and back to the trailer... U-joints were fine.
Also, I've always had slammed pick-ups.. again, driveline angles always jacked up trying to get everything right. You could hear the u-joints howl at high speeds, but they never seemed to wear. In my latest dually, we ended up using angle finders to figure out what was wrong, raising the back of the motor and with shims everywhere else and finally got it to quit howling, but it's still not perfect...
My point is it's always best to do it right, but U-joints seem to be able to take a tremendous amount of abuse and not cause any issues.... Something to consider.
Solid drive lines have to be as close to perfect as you can get...no excuses. Good luck...

OK. First you start out with three fingers of Bookers 125 proof bourbon. This will give your confidence a boost. Next, securely grip a 3 lb ballpeen hammer in one hand, and dial 999 with the other. OK now after stepping in a bucket of red paint... Uh oh... this is the tune up seqence. nevermind.