just got a smoken deal on a seta 35s on chevy rims and cant clear um w/my 3" lift. got an 84 xcab. the tires rub the fire wall real tuff. anyone know some solutions? anyone know the max amout a lift b4 driveline ext? cuz im thinkin 2" body or shackle lift. im on a budget for a bit. thanks

 

I have a 3" suspension lift with a 2" bodylift and oversized shackles. My 33's seem kind of small now.



And I'm still running stock drivelines, as far as I know. lol

 

thanks for replyin man appreciate it. so your shacks are stock length or longer? and how was the body to install? all the steering connections and such do alright?

 

Saw + Zall

I think a 4" lift with a straight axle would require a longer spline front DS. Of course, a body lift requires no change in your driveshafts, and might be the cheapest option you have.

 

haha ya i know about the sawsall. just kind wanna avoid it as much as possible. and whats the deal w the spline? is that done at a driveline shop?

 

The shackles are much longer. Not sure exactly how much real lift I get from them though.

I didn't install the bodylift. The PO did. They had to lower the radiator with fabricated brackets. And it seems that my t-case shifter is rubbing the floor pan, so I'm going to need to cut away some metal there for it to shift properly.

 

The higher arc the front springs have, the more flex. The more flex, the more the front axle will move forward... because the pumpkin is offset on the axle. Sounds strange at first... but you have to think about it a bit.

Try to visualize a full stuff of the DS tire. The 3rd member will move forward as the DS axle comes up. Stock springs don't require that much slip. After market springs (say 4" or more) will require at least 12" of slip, as the axle is moving much further (generally dropping away much further. IE: droop). The drive shaft will need 8" out, 4" in.

Marlin and trail gear both sell the long spline parts:
http://www.trail-gear.com/driveshaft.html

A driveshaft shop will have to build you such a shaft, either with parts you bring them or sourcing their own. Best thing is to have your new springs in place and have the DS Shop measure what you'll need. Or ask here on YT for some more help.

Also, to save money, you can actually build your own long slip drive shaft from square trailer stock. Generally that design doesn't like higher speeds, but will work very well on the trail and are actually considered far more bullet proof than a standard front shaft. Might cost you as little as $40 if you can weld.

 

alright thanks tcat thats some helpful info.
k elvota, read a former post you made and said you made your own front ds outta some square tubing. was it hard to get the u joint so set even, like so it wouldnt wabble? thanks

 

When I cut the U-Joints of the original shaft they just "sat" in the square tubing. Most likely wasn't perfectly centered... but still worked fine up to about 25 miles per hour. It would rattle though at speeds over 15 miles per hour.

My fabrication skills aren't the best, and I have heard of guys getting them straight enough to handle over 50 MPH. I never used 4WD except on the trails so I didn't much care. With the hubs unlocked, it just sits there anyway so no worries at HWY speeds. If you have auto hubs... you are looking at an entirely different scenario.

The tubes have enough play in them to make up for slightly out of center U-Joints. The goal is to get them perfect of course, and just live with what ever you actually come up with.

I ran it for maybe 8 months before I got my dual cases in and had a true long spline shaft built for me by a local DS shop. Square shaft is the best way to go for a budget build that only sees 4WD on the trails or relatively low speeds.

 

ok cool. so what do they charge to do a driveline at a shop? and unless you do go double tcases you dont need to touch the rear right?

 

Not sure about your area, but here in Sacramento we have a place that charged me 108 dollars to extend my rear shaft.

I had a 2 peice rear shaft(extended cab, ed up center bearing) that they turned into a one piece. I think they wound up adding 31 inches to the pieces of shaft I brought in. I thought it was a very resonable price considering they extended it, balanced it, and gave it a really nice clean up and paint job.

Of course they didn't add any extra slip yoke spline length. I suspect it could cost a decent amount to do that. Guessing a couple hundred bucks.

 

I had an 84 xtracab and it only had 2 inch blocks and had 35 14.50 15 bias baja claws on it.

 

You'd have to call around for a local quote. There are many online services that are experienced with long spline shafts as well.

Correct, unless you get a lift over maybe 5" or so. Even then, you'd just need a longer shaft, not a longer spline section. The rear diff is centered, so you don't get the movement that the front does under flex.

 

How about moving the axle forwards an inch or two? That will give you more clearance, but you'll need a modified driveshaft, and either a modified draglink or crossover steering.

 

I'm having rubbing problems too and can't justify spending $1600 on an entire kit for my daily driver which I don't wheel that much just to move the axle forward. I've done a lot of cutting but I still rub.

Does anyone have any photos of their firewall cut job?

 

I bought 2 pro comp front 4 inch springs from 4 wheel parts for under 100 SHIPPED to my door. I clear 33s pretty good right now. I didnt touch my front driveshaft and i dont have any shims either and havent had any problems.

 

Moving the axle forwards simply requires relocating the HOLE for the spring pin. IE, remove u-bolts, support axle and make/enlarge new hole 1" away from of original hole, and then putting the u-bolts back. Of course, your draglink is now 1" too long, which will lead to off-centered steering.