D25 Canter vs Pinion Angle

I am rebuilding my 56 cj5 and have been burnin' up the search button here. You guys are awesome!

I am doing a SOA, and am working on the Dana 25 front end. I want to set my caster to 7 degrees, but the additional caster combined with the lift, significantly increase the pinion angle.

I have read some posts where guys here are running 6 degrees of caster, but didn't say what their pinion angles were like (modified or not).

I would like to know if I need to cut the ends off and re-attach them at the proper angles, or will the "stock" pinion angle be o.k.? I plan to do some moderate trails and I'm not heavy on the long pedal.

Thanks

 

Look for "caster" not "canter." Canter is a way a horse runs, slower than a gallop but faster than a trot. Not "castor" either - that's like castor oil.

SOA on a 25 seems a little odd. Why SOA? I'd skip the SOA... just a load of trouble.

 

Oops, I stayed up way too late last night! I knew that "canter" didn't sound quite right when I was typing.

 

Heres a good base line pinion down 2 degrees.
Caster back 4 to 7 degrees.

I would guess the 25 if its like the one I had would be pinion 0 and caster around 2 to 4.

The front pinion raises up a little under constant load so stationary down a little is good.

SUA is better with lift springs.
Little more $ but way less problems which saves more $ in the long run.

 

I wouldn't cut and turn a 25. I like the 25, it's a decent little axle, but if you're going to all that work do it to a 30 or build a 44. Kind of like putting a $200 saddle on a $20 horse....

I agree with the others, sua is a better way to go if you wan to keep your current axles. Nickmil

 

I appreciate the advice and I understand what you're saying. No disagreement here. I plan to eventually put a D44 in the front, but I haven't found a donor Wagoneer locally to get one out of yet.

I have also been blessed with some friends who own a bolt and fastener store, a welding shop, and a machine shop; and they have all been more than generous to me with literally everything that they have to offer. So this project is costing me little more than my time, and I am thoroughly enjoying working on it.

I know that it could leave me stranded, but I still want the experience of doing the work, learning, improving, and then upgrading my rig.

I spent a lot of time searching and reading this website. I have learned tons! Thanks for all of your input!!

One of my favorite quotes says that, "Good judgement comes from experience. Experience... well that comes from poor judgment."