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Thanks for all the input guys. So what I am hearing is that as long as the engine/trans angle is opposite of the pinion angle, I am good and dont concern myself what the driveshaft is doing, correct?
So in my scenario with a street driven vehehicle with 700 HP, on a level floor, the trans is down 4* so the pinion should be up 2* allowing for a few more degrees further up rotation while under load?
Thanks!

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You have a PM Never have the pinion angle pointed up away from the driveline in any stock type leaf spring suspension, never I have a 8 3/4 pinion shaft that is in two pieces from a 4x4 that a "real mechanic" from a junkyard installed the spring perches on so the pinion angle was higher than the driveline angle,it broke in half the second time the owner jump on it All leaf spring type rear susensions, unless they are using a floater or slider mount on ladder bars or four link will pitch the pinion up under acceleration, not good If everything is aligned perfectly straight like in non suspension race cars you don't need U joints, only a solid connector from the trans to the pinion yoke On our type of cars with U joints you need to have a difference in angle on all the joints in the driveline when running down the road at part throttle and at WOT as well as when coasting under no power so the needles have to rotate in the cups. No magic, the hard part is getting everything aligned properly when parts change alignment under power and when not under power The u joints don't know the difference in angles from left to right and from up and down, the rear U joint and tranny yokes will know when overly misaligned Most of my lessons are hard learned from drag racing Mopars, not from reading books and studing theory This rear u joint was broken at the track in my old pump gas duster with a 727 in it on M/T ET Street tires, not slicks I have a tranny yoke from the same car that I was going to put besides this U joint Of course I can't find it now It has half the yoke missing, the part the U joint presses into broke and stayed on the U joint in the driveshaft Driveline parts will break when misalgned and over stressed I would never have a upside down V angle (The pinion pointed up and the drivesahft pointed down) between the pinion angle and driveshaft angles when sitting still, NEVER