My fathers friend is going to be machining my TM levling blocks and removing aproximatly 2/10ths of an inch. He did the formula and said it would raise the front approximately 1/5 inches (a little shy). I plan on putting it above the shock/spring. How can I check to see if it causes bindage of the CV's? Raise it up and support in the center and see if the wheels spin? I have a 4x4 by the way?

Thanks

 

Wait, he calculated a 0.200" lift? That's not right. If you want to determine how much lift the pucks will give you above the strut (theoretical max), take two measurements :

A) Lower Control Arm Pivot to Wheel Centerline
B) Lower Control Arm Pivot to Shock Attachment Point <-- WRONG see below...

B will be less than A. Divide B into A, and multiply that result by the height of the puck. For example (these are made up):

A= 14"
B=10"

A/B=1.4
For a 1.5" puck, you will achieve a (1.5*1.4)=2.1" lift.

Might be less depending on the progressive springrate of the coil, and whatever deviation from vertical the shock is, but not by a whole lot.

As for CV binding, it's tough to tell. When I built Baja cars in college, we sometimes setup the suspension with too much droop, and the CV "tripod" (3 stalks with roller bearings on the shaft) would ride up into the spring retaining clip in the CV cup, eventually bending and destroying the ring. Pop, out came the axle. It took a little experimenting, and a bunch of spring clips, to get the maximum droop set up right.

We usually went by feel, or a cheap-o cardboard and protractor method. Take out the CV, lay it on a template at the stock track width, and see how far you could articulate before the tripod started riding the retainer. Then back off 5 degrees or so. Set shock mounts accordingly. In your case, you're controlling the amount of lift. Highly unscientific, but eventually we figured out how to avoid bind.

Disclaimer : These were ArticCat CV's, but I think the idea is the same.

 

I was pondering my method on the porcelain throne, where all good thinking occurs, and realized that measuring to the tire CL is wrong. Measure to where the spindle starts.

 

Well I'm going based on what the kit advertised, with the old set. They said it was a 2 inch lift that was placed above the coil/shock pack. That, supposidly, led to premature CV failure so they changed the install location to inside the coil/shock pack. Subsequently they came out with a replacement for the aluminum stock "pucks" that need to be placed above the coil/shock pack that gives approx. 1.5 inches of lift and don't cause the unwanted CV problems. Based off the information that the lift would provide 2 inches and cause problems, my father and his friend (machinist) took it down to his basement and figured it all out. They figured by removing a certain amount of material (approx. 2/10's of a inch) based on the multiplication factor of approx. 7/8 of a inch puck gives approx 2 inch of lift, they determined how much material to remove. My main question was that if I lift the front of the truck and rotate the wheels will that tell me if it will be ok? I would assume it would since I spoke with another member here and he had them installed the older way and hasn't had any issues. Ultimately I would assume that if you did major offroading where you suspension was really being worked that it would cause an issue with the stock size of the pucks. Since I do occasional offroading and to me its more of a cosmetic addition, I'm not overly concerned with the amount of lift, just the overall look. On a side note, Dale, my dad's friend has been a macninist for about 60 years. He made some custom firing pins for both my father's and my SKS rifles. Thanks for your help though.

 

Ahh I see what 1/5 you were talking about. I would think that spinning the wheel at full droop will tell you if you are getting severe binding or over-travel. If it's just on the edge, though, it might not be as obvious, but probably not as harmful. The only issue I see, is that you might not be able to feel the condition that will lead to wear of the rollers or retaining ring.

 

Well the CV's are replaceable/rebuildable. I havn't done it before and have no desire to try. I would most likely replace the whole axle if that was the case, unless it was an ungodly price.

 

Aww where's the fun in that...

Might not be a bad idea to carry a spare CV though if you're worried, and are going to spend a day on the trail.

 

Great idea. I don't normally do any extreme off roading but I'm moving to Florida and I'm sure there are more trails there, then in the country in NC. Thanks for all your help.