SOA how bad?

SOA how bad?
Going to post it on craigs list and some of the boards. I think this is to much for a beginner.

Hopefully someone can put it to its proper use

Thanks again for the input.
 
I check caster by using an angle finder mounted to the top of the steering knuckle. With the jeep body sitting level on stands and the axles under the springs sitting on jack stands and the new spring perches resting between the spring and the axles. Place an agle finder on the flat spot on top of the steering knuckle. Turn the front axle ( my 8 year son helped here) until it is completely level. Now rotate the axle (Pinion) downward until you reach -4 degrees. Spot weld the new perches to the axle. You have now set your 4 degrees negative caster. You need this to prevent the death wobble and more importatnly so the wheels will return to center. If you go zero or positive caster the jeep will be harder and harder to keep straight on the road and could experience the death wobble. It's not a hard adjustment, but a very needed one. If the pinion angle is too grat you'll have to grind of the welds for the axle flange and rotate the flange.

You can get the degree shims and put those between the perches and accomplish the same thing. But if you have to weld new perches on why not do it right and skip the shims.
 
Cweed said:
I check caster by using an angle finder mounted to the top of the steering knuckle. With the jeep body sitting level on stands and the axles under the springs sitting on jack stands and the new spring perches resting between the spring and the axles. Place an agle finder on the flat spot on top of the steering knuckle. Turn the front axle ( my 8 year son helped here) until it is completely level. Now rotate the axle (Pinion) downward until you reach -4 degrees. Spot weld the new perches to the axle. You have now set your 4 degrees negative caster. You need this to prevent the death wobble and more importatnly so the wheels will return to center. If you go zero or positive caster the jeep will be harder and harder to keep straight on the road and could experience the death wobble. It's not a hard adjustment, but a very needed one. If the pinion angle is too grat you'll have to grind of the welds for the axle flange and rotate the flange.

You can get the degree shims and put those between the perches and accomplish the same thing. But if you have to weld new perches on why not do it right and skip the shims.
Click to expand...

In doing this will this mess with the drive line angles?? Let me get this straight you are are moving the pinion closer to the ground and the front of the axle up? Where did you get this Information? It would be nice to see a chart if you have one. Is there any thing that might need to be done on the rear like this also?
 
Well if i am thinking right, the pinion isn't nessacarrily going to be level or pointed down as you want the top of the knuckle set to -4 degrees NOT the pinion. So I would have to zero the top of the knuckle then rotate it to -4 degrees , if I am understanding this right. Which makes snce to me. The pinion should theoretically still be pointed positive, but if it isn't thats when you have to cut the welds for the knuckles and rotate the pinion to achieve the correct angle while still keeping -4 degrees out at the knuckle. Correct?
 
I got the information from going through the pains of my first SOA. Yes if the pinion angles are off to far then you would have to go with cutting the wheel flanges. The 4 degrees negative caster is not related to pinion angle at all. It is related strickly to the angle of the knuckle. You want the lower knuckle to be slightly forward (4 degrees) than the top which why it's called Negative Caster.

I worked in a front end shop as a kid with my dad and did front end alignments as a summer job. As for a chart you can google front end alignment for solid axle jeeps as I am sure there is pleanty of info on the net. My jeep manual specifies -4 degrees and it works on mine.

Don't let anyone tell you you can't change chamber on a solid axle either. I have heard that a million times. So why to the make chamber shims? The camber shims will address excessive wear seen on the outside but normally on the inside of the tire. You won't need this for the SOA. However if you say put wheel spacers you could experience a little shaking at a specific speed say 45 mph. This is related to chamber.

I hope this helps. If the pinion angle is not to far off you can install a double cardan joint which is basiclly two U-joints mounted close together. This will also allow you to run slightly steep pinoin angles. I have two on my CJ7 .

Let me know if I can help support you. It's not has hard as it sounds. Just have to pay attention to the major details is all.
 
Thanks for the information. I will most likely have some more questions as I go.
 
I reviewed that kit a while back and liked it. Did my own SOA to save money and to avoid having those big plates at the bottom of my axle. I have made two purchases from Rocky road and cant complain a bit. They are informative and the quality is not to be complained about. My SOA is about 3/4" lower than theirs. My front drive shaft was about at its limit. Later I put in Rubicon Express 1 1/2" SOA YJ leaves. This gave me 2" more hight in front and moved my axle forward 3/4", so I had to lenghten my shaft 2". All good now. If I bought their kit, I would feel safer if I welded in around the axle area. Thats just me, I sometimes get the urge to flog my truck and have spun an axle inside the u bolts. That was 20 years ago when I did not have a welder. I tend to build my parts with overkill in mind.
 
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