63 dart 360/904/7&1/4 circle track. I am raising the eng/trans so I can fit good flowing magnum ex manifolds. what is the max degrees offset I can use? I know I want the degrees pretty close but in opposite planes. I do have angled shims for the rear axle as needed. Thank you for your time. RR

O boy. The pinion angle subject.

First question is - which u joint is closer to the ground, front or rear?

5 degrees wouldn't scare me. Shouldn't matter which end is higher.
Doug

I will check/measure further. I've definitely jacked up the eng quite a bit to try & run these manifolds. thanks guys. RR

The motor and rearend can be offset quite a bit, as long as the pinion angle is set within reason, no more than 5* down, or less. I used a Ford 8.8 in a 65 dart i built, which was out of line side to side by 2+ inch?
But the differential and engine were parallel side to side, about three degrees down pinion angle. 500 hp 408, no problems.

Good info, I will get after it. RR

If you're trying to make the pinion and crankshaft parallel, it does. You do NOT want to run the pinion angle up (negative) in relation to the driveshaft C/L.

If the engine/trans is angled down (front u joint lower than the front of the crank C/L) that doesn't change. It just needs to be adjusted around to get the best compromise. A million backhalf cars out there like that.

more good info, thank you. RR

if the pinion angle is angled up, it will wrap "up" more under acceleration, and vibrate bad.

Pinion can be up if it's less than the trans is down in the rear. My racecar is 1/2 degree up. But the trans is 2 degrees down.
Doug

you are correct Doug.
i meant that to mean if the combined angle was up, [the pinion angle up higher than the transmission output shaft down] it would wrap up more under acceleration. sorry.

What angle is the pinion shaft V in relations to the drive shaft?
The longer the driveshaft the less angle there is there, correct?

The most efficient transfer of power is a zero-pinion angle. When there is no angle on the u-joints, it spins smooth, the more angle the more the driveshaft has to speed up and then slow down while rotating. Lock an older 4-wheel drive truck and turn it hard you will feel the pulsations in the steering wheel as the axle rotates.
When building a race car, you set the at rest pinion angle down a few degrees so that it comes to zero under hard acceleration. Leaf springs are hard to estimate but 5 to 7 degrees is what I use and 2 to 3 degrees for 4-link and ladder bar.