Doogie65

Found one at Snap-on before swapping my PH DS and it worked great! I will try to find the p/n and link

Doogie65

I keep receipts for everything and found what you need... Snap-on p/n BFCRM12A

Rubrignitz

Ah, thanks Doogie. Actually I just scoured Snap-On's website and picked up this one

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....store&tool=all

Hope its the one I need. 12mm 12point just not the ratcheting type. I'm amazed the ratcheting type worked with the amount of space required. I couldn't get anything I had over that flare.

Doogie65

Curious why you went with that one as it more expensive and the one I linked is ratcheting?

Rubrignitz

It has the open end for additional clearance. It's worth the extra 10 bucks to know next time I crawl up under the car I'll have the right tool. I guess if I ever need it for something with tight clearance around the head it will work for that as well.

DiMora

TacoBill,

First of all, very nice write-up.

I am 50% done installing my coast driveshaft...and this thread has been extremely helpful. THANK YOU!!!!

I want to help clarify pinion angle, as nobody seems to understand it, and even fewer can explain it. I don't even know if I can explain it without pictures, but I will try. (I will add pics / drawings if necessary)

If your measurements are correct, your pinion angle would actually be at -4 degrees in relation to the front...which is excessive. A proper target according to BMR and Steeda is to have the rear pinion flange at minus 1 to minus 2 degrees...with 1.5 being a nice compromise for a street car and -2 being good for drag racing. Coast, on the other hand, says to set them perfectly parallel. More on that in a few paragraphs.

Here is the skinny. On our cars, according to Coast, the engine / tranny are angled such that the tranny output flange is tilted downward roughly 2.7 degrees.

Imagine if you will for a moment that we LIFT the rear of the car so that the engine crankshaft (and transmission output flange) are perfectly parallel to earth, IE zero degrees of tilt. ...THEN we adjust our upper third link so that the pinion flange also had zero degrees of tilt, it would be parallel to earth...thus our pinion angle would be zero, correct?

Some more examples of ZERO pinion angle (which is what coast recommends...again, I'll discuss that in a moment):

If the tranny output flange was set to minus one degree, we would have to set the rear pinion flange to plus one degree...they would be perfectly parallel then...thus ZERO pinion angle.

If the tranny output flange was set to (-2) then we would have to put the rear pinion flange at (+2)...they would be parallel...again, zero pinion angle.

If the tranny output flange was at (-3) (Which was the case on your car, TacoBill) the rear pinion flange would have to be set at (+3) in order to have zero pinion angle (The Coast recommendation).

Let's discuss the Coast zero degree pinion angle recommendation and what Steeda and BMR say (Rear pinion (-1 to -2 with -1.5 being a great compromise): What happens is when we launch the car, the car "squats" in the rear...the rear pinion flange tilts up, and if you were to put a magnetic angle finder on the front tranny output flange, since the engine and front of the car are raising upward, the tranny output flange would tilt downward (in relation to earth).

If we were to run solid bushings for hard-core drag racing, we could get away with the coast drive-line recommendation of setting zero degrees pinion angle, since squat would be minimized.

However, most of us run polyurethane bushings (BMR calls them "Poly" and Steeda calls then "Urethane"...but it is all the same thing)...and those bushings flex just a little bit. Not as much as stock, but more than solid bushings.

Because of the polyurethane bushings, Steeda and BMR say we should set the rear pinion angle at (-1) to (-2) in relation to the front tranny output flange) so that when you do launch the car from a stand-still, and the suspension squats, the AMOUNT of squat is in that 1 to 2 degree range, and therefore when the driveline is under the MOST stress, the pinion angle is zero and all is parallel.

So, in your case TacoBill, if the front tranny output flange is sitting at (-3) (pointed downward toward ground) you would have to point the rear pinion UP to (+3) if you wanted ZERO pinion angle (remember, zero is parallel), point the rear pinion flange up to (+2) if you wanted (-1) degree of pinion angle, and point it to (+1) if you wanted (-2) degrees of pinion angle.

If you want precisely (-1.5 degrees) of pinion angle which is a good compromise between street and drag, you would have to set the rear to (+1.5 degrees)...again that is if your front tranny output flange is at (-3) degrees.

Whew...that is my best attempt at a textual description.

I found two links that were VERY helpful for me to understand this:

http://www.ssz28.com/tech/Pinionangle.html

The pics this guy drew are VERY helpful.

http://www.buickperformance.com/Pinion.htm

Again, Epic write-up, and many thanks! I'll add some pics from my install to this thread later if you guys don't mind...I have good shots of the parking brake bracket relocation as well as pics of my dealing with the reinforcement metal that hits the drive shaft if not dealt with correctly. Let me just say you can't just "pound it in with a punch" I had to get medieval with it and ended up cutting it with my air grinder...pics will explain.

DiMora

Unfortunately, it doesn't "massage" easily.

I beat the living daylights out of it...BIG hammer (ball peen and flat end), various punches...AIR HAMMER...and finally said screw it and ground it off with my air grinder and then hit it with primer to prevent rust. I'll add pics in the next couple of days.

highline

jesus, I was thinking of putting a ds in mine, but after this write up forget it...whatta pita it seems...pinion angle calculations and direct bolt in don't go together...

808muscle

No sh*t......."direct bolt in" my ***!

Eman2112

help?

this is an awesome write up first off.
i have followed it closely and i am happy to say all has gone smoothly so far.

i have hit a snag i do not see addressed in your write up and was wondering if anyone can help..

i have everything unbolted form the original shaft.
the front has been separated from the transmission.
the rear will NOT separate form the pinion flange.

i am also working alone in about 13"=15" of space under the car.
how did you separate the rear of the shaft form the rear flange?

the rest is free i can move, wiggle spin, manipulate all of it. its laying on teh wood now..waiting for a solution.

any input would be GREATLY appreciated
!!