The method I used to get my measurements was flawed. I'll need to take them again using the information Larry linked too...I don't think its possible my transmission is +3 that would look very strange if you think about it. The best way to do this is with the car supported on jackstands, with stands under the front control arms and rear axle tubes, with the full weight of the car resting on the stands. Next, it's best to remove the driveshaft. Using an angle finder (these are available from Competition Engineering or at Sears Hardware stores-- they're a commonly used carpenters tool), measure across the surface of the rear transmission seal vertically(see illustration 1) This surface is perpendicular to the output shaft of the trans, so subtract the measurement from 90 to get the drivetrain angle. Let's say that the measurement is -2 degrees(pointed down). That is our reference point.
Yes, get an accurate measurement. It's OK if the transmission points down as much as 4*, mine does. You'll need a way to adjust the pinion up or down. The easiest way is adjustable upper control arms.
With the car sitting on a 3 deg incline not sure if that matters or not... My transmission angle is at 0 (or -3 if you account for the incline?) The rear end is at -3 (or 0 if you account for the incline) Meaning I need to bring the transmission up 1 deg or the tilt the rear end -1 deg?
The rear end pinion moves up about 2* under power. If you tilt the rear end down 2*, it should come up to 0 under power. Then you can leave the transmission angle alone.
Make that measurement more than once, and try it on the other side of the output shaft. Measuring on the face of the rear seal depends on the installation of the seal being correct. Yours looks to have dents on the driver's side of the seal, from installation. The passenger's side may look the same. This may be a tropical delusion, but it's worth checking into. I'd personally use the body of the extension housing if at all possible. One of my tasks at work was aligning and leveling equipment to within one second of arc and .001". Not easy. Cars are way more forgiving.
What transmission did you have before the overdrive. If you swapped from a TH350,to the 2004R,the driveshaft needs to be shortened a hair. The case of the 200R4 is slightly longer,and it can cause the original length shaft to bottom-out,or come to a bind,as the suspension moves up & down with the car. The trans yoke needs to travel in & out with the suspension movement.
Yes, the accepted standard is that you should have about 3/4" of in-out travel of the yoke (sometimes called a "slip") when the car is in a neutral position, to allow for the suspension moving up and down while driving.
Had a 400 transmission in it and I was told a slightly longer transmission. The drive shaft was replaced with a new custom made unit that was longer.
Did this problem ever get resolved? Inquiring minds want to know so that they can try to fix their car too.
Yes the fix was drive line angle. I found it easiest to put spacers between the transmission and the mount. My particular setup required about and inch and a half. This put the Ujoint really close to the body but it fixed the nasty vibration. The other way to adjust it would be to buy a set of adjustable trailing arms to adjust it out at the rear end.
Is your car lowered Hobby? That would also help explain why you had to raise the transmission so much.
Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to take a look at my angles and see how they measure up. So does it ride real smooth now?
You might have installed wrong thickness motor mounts? or the trans mount is not correct height either? Some other thoughts? Is the rear end jacked up some?
