Squaring up the rear end

[KMAT]

Can someone please give me the proper way to Center and square up my GM rear end on a 67 Chevy C10 I put a 5 inch drop kit on the back and does not seem that my rear end is square with the truck. I will try to attach a picture to this thread and if you can notice that the pinion angle points towards the passenger door somewhat. Any help would be much appreciated that is why I joined this awesome site

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by KMAT

Can someone please give me the proper way to Center and square up my GM rear end on a 67 Chevy C10 I put a 5 inch drop kit on the back and does not seem that my rear end is square with the truck. I will try to attach a picture to this thread and if you can notice that the pinion angle points towards the passenger door somewhat. Any help would be much appreciated that is why I joined this awesome site

Flipped your picture.

Do you have an adjustable track bar on it? You will need one with a 5" drop. That will help to center the rear end side to side but I don't know if it will correct that or not. Are the bushings in the front of the trailing arms bad? If nothing is worn or loose that is pretty much a non adjustable setting and I would be checking the center cross member to see if it is bent.

LockDoc

[dondb]

Looks just like my 69 truck. It looks like that because the brace right above is at an angle I believe. My truck looked like that before I put my 4" lowering springs on, so i wasn't to worried when nothing changed. I can post a picture later of mine as the bed is off...but i expect someone will post a pic with explanation before I get home from work.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by dondb

Looks just like my 69 truck. It looks like that because the brace right above is at an angle I believe. My truck looked like that before I put my 4" lowering springs on, so i wasn't to worried when nothing changed. I can post a picture later of mine as the bed is off...but i expect someone will post a pic with explanation before I get home from work.

I was wondering about that too. That angled rear cross member will throw your perspective off on it. I'm presuming he has done some measuring and checking on it since he has the square laying there on the frame. I guess the only way to check it for sure is to set the bed on it and check the tires in the wheel openings.....

LockDoc
.

[Mudflat]

Measure inside of tires to frame rail, both sides. Take up the difference with a track bar.

[dondb]

I measured already from tires to center and it was spot on using an ECE adjustable bar. And it still looks just like that picture? I'll double check now that i see this thread.

[KMAT]

Control arm bushings are all new adjustable track arm new with the drop kit. I understand how to center it from side to side but what I don't understand is how to where are the rear end front to back if I'm making an any sense at all if you look at the pinion to the drive shaft it appears that the pinion is pointing towards the passenger door a tad bit. Now there is a possibility that the frame is twisted but am not entirely sure

[KMAT]

Sorry about the picture being upside down I went into a file and did a flip on it apparently it did not hold

[A1971Blazer]

I think there are gauge holes in the frame rails that were used by the factory to align everything at assembly...
I know that my Blazer frame has them......The Blazer ones are 5/8" diameter...
I was able to insert a 5/8" rod all the way across through the holes to use for reference.
not sure where they would be on the truck but probably about midway.

[KMAT]

Originally Posted by dondb

Looks just like my 69 truck. It looks like that because the brace right above is at an angle I believe. My truck looked like that before I put my 4" lowering springs on, so i wasn't to worried when nothing changed. I can post a picture later of mine as the bed is off...but i expect someone will post a pic with explanation before I get home from work.

Hey no thanks for your reply I understand that brace is at an angle, that did throw me off for brief moment but I'm looking at the pinion angle towards the passenger side compared to the drive shaft thanks for your reply I would like to see a picture of yours later on when you get home from work

[KMAT]

A1971Blazer I looked sure enough I see a bunch of 5/8 holes in the frame across from each other as well thanks for the heads up on that I'll check that out

[KMAT]

Yes hey thanks Lock Doc for your response, i'm going to try the 5/8 solid bar through the frame real holes and do some measuring

[KMAT]

I also know that somewhere there should be some type of factory measurements for the frame if anybody could possibly direct me in that direction or understand what I'm talking about appreciate it

[FirstOwner69]

Originally Posted by KMAT

I also know that somewhere there should be some type of factory measurements for the frame if anybody could possibly direct me in that direction or understand what I'm talking about appreciate it

I'm not sure this will give you the info you are looking for, but there are frame dimensions in the factory Chassis Service Manuals. Here is a post with links to PDF versions. Look in Section 2 of the 1967 manual.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...94&postcount=1

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by FirstOwner69

I'm not sure this will give you the info you are looking for, but there are frame dimensions in the factory Chassis Service Manuals. Here is a post with links to PDF versions. Look in Section 2 of the 1967 manual.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...94&postcount=1

That should tell him what he needs to know. I just looked at mine and it gives all of the measurements in a chart a few pages back from the frame illistration.

LockDoc

[Grumpy old man]

This might help , Also taking X measurements across the frame they should be 1/8 th - 1/4" equal.

[dondb]

OK my wheels were off by 1/2"....1st picture 1/2" off 2nd picture wheels square:

[KMAT]

Okay dondb, what did you do to even that out?

[KMAT]

Thanks FirstOwner69,LockDoc,Grumpy old man and all others with Great answeres and info!!!!!!

[zicc1835]

sbd

[KMAT]

What does sbd suppose to mean

[Grumpy old man]

Originally Posted by KMAT

What does sbd suppose to mean

Subscribed , by making a short post you can go back thru your own account and pull this thread back up . it's a shortcut

[dondb]

Originally Posted by KMAT

Okay dondb, what did you do to even that out?

Not sure it's the right way? I have some long wood working clamps (5 footers) and i used them to get everything square. I first loosened the axle u bolts and removed the track bar. I then measured and adjusted my track bar length and tighten the u bolts to 200 ft-lbs. It was off about 1" to begin with like yours toward passenger side. Just adjusting the track bar got it to 1/2" off. Then doing as explained above got it to about 1/4" still off toward the passenger side. My frame is off corner to corner by about 1/8" but i think the u joints can easily absorb the off set.

[zicc1835]

Originally Posted by KMAT

What does sbd suppose to mean

thanks Grumpy...KMAT thats the beautiy of this community everyone learns from others experience ..I have lined my rear up mostly by sight and pan hard bar and some quick measurements. I have not torqued down anything yet. One of the other issues is the angle or degrees that the pinion /drive shaft sits Im looking for that little leveling tool Ive seen on a post. I didnt subscribe to that post talked all about the angle tolerance Im sure Ill find it eventually and share.

( dont look at my exhaust thats not line up just mocked in this picture ...but if you look at the pinion it looks slightly cocked to the right without your post I probably would not have taken another look )
Thanks

[Grumpy old man]

When I had mine down to the frame and I was doing the 6 to V8 conversion by changing to the V8 trans cross member so the 350 would sit in the correct location I noticed mine was off 1/2 I already had most of the cross members out for paint so I used 2 -4 ton come alongs in an X and pulled the frame back to 0.0 square once everything was back and installed it stayed 0.0 and everything just dropped into place on installation . I've noticed the GMC leaf spring trucks have a cross member angle brace at the rear of the frame ( I'll look for a picture ) and I'm going to add those angle braces (cross member to frame ) just to add more torsional strength and prevent the racking action some of these frames experience .