Engine height versus rear end height

If I measure to the center of my banjo rear input shaft it is 14.5 off of ground. If I set my engine up so carb pad is level and centerline of crank is 14.5" off of ground the engine looks too high in the chassis. Can the driveshaft run "uphill"to the rear? My driveshaft will end up about thirty inches long. I have an open drive conversion from Speedway and a 64 ford three speed manual. I can send a pic via email to anyone if it would help. BTW engine pan is now two inches above bottom of frame rails.

 

yes but keep them in the same plane.........

 

The trick is in the pinion angle. make sure the pinion shaft and the transmission output shaft are parallel. Otherwise it will chew through u joints.

 

just set my chassis up. 3-6° is the range. my trans output shaft is 3° downward and my open drive banjo is 3° upward. they just have to be oposite the same amount.

 

I understand the angle down etc....my question is can my trans out put shaft be two or three inches lower than rear end yoke or do they need to be the same height?

 

no they do not have to be the same height... the trans can be lower i think is what you want to ask... but that means that if your trans is down 3* then your rear should be up at 3*... in stead of the other way...

 

Better question.
Enclosed or open driveshaft? Both have different answers.

 

His post says he has an OPEN driveshaft.

 

I like to set the engine height so that the crankshaft centerline is at the same height as the top of the framerails at the engine bay. That doesn't look "too high" to me.

 

To answer the Question - Yes, the trans can be lower than the rear end.

 

You make my head hurt. Driveshaft angle should be between 3-6 degrees up. down, left, right between trans and the rear axle. Who cares about heights.

 

Your main concern is u-joint working angle. 2-3 degrees is ideal, a little more or less won't kill it. Measure from tail shaft to driveshaft and driveshaft to pinion, thats working angle. Which they are pointed, how high off the ground, or what angle they are in relation to the ground or frame doesn't matter.

Joe

 

Here is where it boils down to, height and placement/angles. Do you know what a nose is and a tail?
Put the engine in place that it looks right. The carb or intake top at level will have the engine/trans angle at 3 to 5 degrees with the front being higher than the trans rear. Nose high. Measure off of a machined surface that is known to be parallel or perpendicular to the crankshaft. MACHINED SURFACE, not cast.
Put an angle gauge on the face of the rearend yoke, where the bolts go through.
Make the rearend yoke higher than the tail of the pinion with the same angle or within 1.5 degrees. Nose up too.
To make it more complicated, you can have the nose of the pinion pointing downward. If you go down that road, you need an installed driveshaft and know how to make that math work. With that math, pinion angle can be set when suspension height and more is set into place. \ _ / math. Complimentary angles.