Check my math. Driveshaft length

I lowered Jean Clyde Damn Van with a 4 inch flip kit. The driveshaft is bottomed out now. I measured from u-joint center to u-joint center with the yoke pulled out 1 inch and get 49 inches with the van at ride height.

The driveshaft itself is 49.5 inches center of the cap to center of the cap at each end.

Would a 1 inch chop be fine for the driveshaft?

See rudimentary drawing.

Of note, the axle is forward from stock in the wheel opening. The fibreglass spring has pads with locating dowels on the pads but they are some kind on non metallic and non grindable. Should I leave the axle as is?

I assume you're all treating mom well and are too busy to check my math. That's okay. I love mom too!

I would be trying to recenter the axle on the wheel opening. Some flip kits have an offset hole in the new perch.

Alternatively, you shouldn't need more than 1" pull out on the slip yoke, and it looks like you only need ½" from the d/s to achieve this with the current axle location.

Id move the axle to center first, honestly. That should get you your inch.

I also (depending on the application) like to use 3/4" instead of 1", especially on a lowered vehicle where the driveshaft is more parallel to the ground.

Definitely forward of center.

I'm concerned with how to move the axle. It has the fibreglass leaf. Simple offset plates won't work.

Is the leaf in backwards? Because yes, you can do that....

Not familiar with the flip kit for the composite leafs, however on the normal flip kits its as simple as drilling offset hoes in the upper and lower plates for a new locating pin location. 

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) :

There's no pin in the traditional sense. The pads around the leaf have about a 1 inch diameter raised bump. The lower plate has a hole it fits into. One is worn away however. 

I'm not familiar with the application, but with multiple references to a correction in some flip kits, finding a way to do that here sounds both better and simpler than shortening the driveshaft.

Is the bump on the composite springs really significantly different in function from pins on a steel spring?

In reply to Jesse Ransom :

I don't think so. Just not sure how to modify. Search on AstroSafari.com is weak.

In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :

Rereading the whole thread, sounds like with the lower driveshaft angle that 3/4" pullout is sufficient (a couple of folks suggest it, and if you think about what part of the arc the shaft and leaves are moving through now it makes sense), which means you're really only looking for 0.25" movement, right? I mean, apart from looking like the wheel would like to go further back than that just to center in the wheel well, but that's secondary, right?

Double-checking Michael's question about the leafs being in backward? Half wondering whether to ask whether they're directional, and whether we'd be so lucky that turning them front to back would actually help even if they're in forward now...

Beyond that, it's not clear to me what's needed apart from drilling new holes in the lower plate offset from where they are now... Ah! I think I get it. The first layer of stuff surrounding the leaf, the stuff that looks like shallow C-channel; that's part of the spring, and is also the item that has the 1" diameter bumps? So you can't just offset without having the perch plates hanging off beyond those pads? It's a bit hard to tell how all those bits stack up, and where you can or can't modify.

Does it help that it looks like you only need about 0.25" to make the driveshaft happy? Because that looks like it could possibly be done without falling off the built-in blocks (if that's what they are). If one of the springs' pads' locating bump is worn away and you're okay with that, then the other one can be "worn away" as well. I'm not sure what you meant by non-grindable, but there must be some way of removing it. Flap disc? File? Or pull that lower plate and open up the hole 0.25".

Personally, I'm slightly uneasy about the missing locating nub, but I'm not sure whether I should be; it's just not something I know and not something I want to assume.

vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) :

There's no pin in the traditional sense. The pads around the leaf have about a 1 inch diameter raised bump. The lower plate has a hole it fits into. One is worn away however. 

I would have to move the axle. That would drive me crazy every time I looked at it. Can you redrill the hole in the lowering plate to move the axle where it needs to be?

Springs never came out. Front of the mono leafs fit into a pocket between plates like a clam shell.

I'm gonna get under there and stare at it a bit more. Maybe I can move the axle back some by taking up any slop/tolerance in the plates.

The plates under the leaves are up against a rubberized phenolic(?) form that wraps the leaves at there center point. I will get more pics. 

Finally had a chance to take a look at things again. After some staring and head scratching I checked the axle relative to the end of the springs. The axle was further forward on the driver's side than the passenger side. I pulled the axle even and back as much as I could. Got a full 3/4 inch. Now the wheels look better in the wheel openings and I can get the axle in and out with no problem. 

Next up? Getting the speedometer to work.

Thank you all for your help. It's good to look away, get some input, and approach from new direction sometimes.