Okay- enough of this! My dad and I got to talkin' about the old days- funny how a car show can do that to a feller. Anyway, when I was a kid, he had a 60, 4-door wagon that had a six and a three on the tree. We use to zoom down the highway in that thing! (Was it the wings that made it go that fast?) Anyway, I need to know. Is there a later model 4 speed (or heck, even a three speed) that will fit into these trucks that has has better ratios? They want 400 + or - (I'm sure +) for a T5. Then you got to do all this "other" stuff to it and maybe the speedo will work, maybe it won't. If there is a tranny out of a 50~60 that will "slide right in", could you please let me know? Many, MANY thanks! As you can see- my decisions are FINAL!
High Speed Gearing This old saw again ? . The tranny isn't what determines the speed , it's the final drive ratio in the rear end and the diameter of the tires . If you have an " open " driveline , get a 3 speed tranny with overdrive and watch 'er fly . Torque Tube ? gotta use Patric's gears and / or tall tires . That or beat the bushes for that overdrive 5 speed tranny .
What tranny do you have now Zig? I know your converting to 1/2 ton. So like Nate said get the right cruzing ratio for the rear end. Get the thing up and running again, using the 228 and the 4sp(?). Upgrade in steps. Drive it and decide what you want to be better. It's all about the enjoyment of these old trucks, but when their all tore down, aint no fun. IMHO...Chris
Zig, I kept my stock 4 speed tranny out of a 48 chevy 3800. However, the orig rear was a 5:14. I changed out rears for a newer chevy that has a 4:10. Any way you cut it that is about a 20% increase in speed at a given engine RPM. At least it doesn't sound like it is making shrapnel at 45 mph. Since yours is a 3/4 you have an open driveline so the sky is the limit. I would be tempted to go for something in the neighborhood of a 3:08 since you will probably be hauling that little girl all over town. I doubt you will be doing many burnouts anyway. Gater
Yeah~ "this old saw again" LOL You bet, Gater. That's why shoulder belts are in the plans. Yes, my days of "lighting them up" are long *long* gone. So all I gotta do is put in an better ratio back end and I can keep everything the way it is???? (well, except for cleaning and painting...) Now ya'll know why my wife hates me. She can tell me something six or seven times, but I don't hear her until the eighth time. I got now! Yaaahoo! I just saved a ton of money I can put else where! You guys are the greatest! I promise- NO MORE TRANSMISSION QUESTIONS! BTW~ I loved the "shrapnel" reference! That's well said!
Final Drive Ratio Selection You have a 3/4 T rear end ? GREAT now all you needs to is hunt the scrapyards for a '67 ~ '7? G series van with an automatic (99 % of them had sluchboxes then) and grab thr 3.72 ratio pumpkin out of it , that should bolt right into your AD 3/4 T rear end and if you really have a Long Motor you'll soon see why I'm so jealous of them . Before you part with any hard earned $ , -DO- count the bolt pattern etc. !
But.. but... but... That's to simple, Nate. I lost the 8 lug front in preference to the 6 lug front of the half. The 3/4 is open with 8, but I want to switch to open with 6 lugs. So I guess what I want to look for is that ratio in a rear end that will match up between backing plates. This is all so simple I could hoot! By the way, the tranny that's in there is the standard _why the heck did they gear first like this???_ 4 speed. I think with that gearing, I could pull parts of Pittsburg out of the flood zone. Thanks for your help! I'm so excited!!! You saved me bunches of $$$ and swear words I won't need to use now!!! I'll still blow it apart to repaint, re-rubber everything though. sigh*
Zig, Get accurate measurements on your original rear. Measure the center of the diff to the yoke. Compare that to the one you find in the junkyard and it will tell you if you have to get your drive shaft shortened or lengthened. Measure the overall width so get a feel for how it will clear the fenders. (shouldn't be a prob.) Measure from the centers of the spring perches and compare to your orig. You can always move them but why if you don't have to. Also, look at where the shock brackets are in relation to your frame. Let's see, what else. That's all I can think of now. You won't find one that is perfect in every measurement so be ready to cut and relocate some pieces. Just wanted to make you aware of some of the things you will have to deal with. The main thing is to get a ratio you can live with. Good luck on your hunt! Gater
Thanks "G" I know whatever I get, perches will need to be re-done. Compare that to the list of things I'd have to do with as far out from original as I was going? I am so happy to know I can get what I'm looking for (daily 70 mile driver) without getting away from what it came with. ...Well... Dual carbs, split manifold, disk brakes up front- maybe out back also... 8 track player... orange and gold shag carpet on the floor... huge peace sign hanging from the review... my electric in the gun rack... Yeahhhh .... Opps- sorry, did I think all that out loud? With all this in mind, it seems back end / ratio is all I have to figure out. I have no doubt you guys can tell me what's best! Stock 4 speed, former 3/4, will cruise at 65 mph, will NOT spin tires ANYTIME. (except on accident on wet pavement, or pulling my boat up a questionable ramp.) WOULD like to use 1st gear to get going. I hate leaving it out of the mix. I LOVE hearing standards driving around town pushing 1st before dropping to second. I want my truck to do that stuff. I will _never_ pull a huge load. My boat and trailer can't weigh more than 400 lbs., the old time camper I'm going to build as soon as I'm through with this is one of those old timey "sleep only" trailers that looks like a tear drop. (Kitchen in the back when the back end folds down) Little door on the side that leads to a sleeping floor with your feet tucked under the kitchen part... What a cool look! These are so easy to build it's not even funny! All I need is a utility trailer frame. When I'm done with this, look for thunder's rig and mine to be pullin' similar campers! Just think of what's in store for my daughter- Daddy taking her and mommy camping in a '52 GMC with an old (help me here) "tear-drop" camper. Will she be hooked on old ADs and the environment, or what? Thanks again, all. I appreciate everyones thoughts about the back end I'll need to achieve my needs!
Zig, Here is a toy to play with when you are figuring your ratio. http://www.corral.net/tech/gearcalc.html You may have to look up one of the trannys in the drop down to find one that compares to your stock tranny so that you know which one to select for comparison. Gater
I am making my rear end purchase tommorrow. I found a sweet deal on a 2002 S-10 Blazer ZR2 package rear end. It's a 3:72 POSI gear. I got it for a steal. Did I mention the disc brakes. I'll try and get some pics up soon. I am also waiting for the rest of my air ride to show up. Should be any day now. Dad got the frame blasted today, so it sounds like it's getting time to get serious into working on it now. HHHHHMMMMMMMMM, frame on it's way, air ride on its way, rear end tommorrow, maybe going to ky tommorrow to pull the engine that is going in my truck this weekend, yeah it's going to be a busy weekend. (and for those who caught that, I am no longer going with a crate motor, I'm using the engine out of my dad's 79 chevy for money purposes, plus it's already built and running)
Hmm~ disk brakes, POSI, 3:72... I wonder how that would like sharing it's life with a '52 GMC 228 and a stock 4 speed... (?) Gater~ did you use that table to figure what you needed? Am I dumb, or is that just for T5s? I'm going to make my stock 4 speed work- I just need to know what would be a good ratio idea for highway. NO hole shots- no stump pulling- well, okay, maybe Ozark, Colorado, Arizona, California, New York, Philadelphia "hills" would be a consideration, but other than those things, and my lard a$$, that's all it'll need to pull.
If you keep it sharply tuned , that old 228 will pull it right along the highway just fine and you'll be using the granny gear to haul the boat up those slippery ramps too not to worry . You won't want to use that Compound Low in traffic tho' ~ it'll actually slow you down .
Zig - Nice to meet a fellow Kansan. I used to date a girl that went to Pitt State so I spent plenty of time in your neck of the woods. May have bumped into you at one time and not even known it!! Anywho, about your gearing. When I rebuilt my truck, I was running the standard four on the floor, 250ci with 4:10 gears. She ran very hard at 60mph. A year or so after the restoration I dropped in a 350/700R4 combo and 3:73 gears. She ran okay, except I blew the 700R4 twice. So I opted for a Turbo 350 but she ran hard with 3:73 gears. Now I have a 3:07 '95 siverado axle under the butt. She cruises at 70mph, and runs easier at 90mph than she did '60 with the other gearing. The way I determined that 3:07 was the best for me was I went to http://www.richmondgear.com/101032.html. Once there look over to the right of the screen. Type your desired RPM at your desired speed. (I had no tach, so I used my '99 Dodge Averger as a reference. In overdrive, the Avenger runs 2300 rpm at 60mph. Truck should probably do the same or better.) So I punched in 2300 at 60mph, then the height of my tire ON THE VEHICLE, fully inflated - 27". That gave me a ratio of 3.08. I found a 3.07. Yipee. In those granny trannys, it should be the fourth gear that is the direct drive, meaning a ratio of "1." You can use that on the other calculator too, the one that does engine RPM. Rear end swaps are mechanically simple, but technically complex. Expect to take MANY measurements to get the axle seated properly, and, in my case, that still meant buying skinnier wheels and tires to keep them from poking out under the fenders!! All in all, just follow the advice of all the guys above, and you should be fine!!!
Zig, Looks like Aimless found a better calculator than mine. No, I didn't use it on my truck. My decision was based on what I could find at the time. Anything was an improvement over a 5:14, Gater
Cool, Aimless! Thanks for the site! Yeah, it only took from 1992 to 2000 to get my degree... So if you were attending then, we might have even been in the same class. I had my 1964 Chevy long bed then. It was a neat green color with a white top, white grill, white stripe between the chrome strips, and white spoke truck wheels. It was a great truck, just rusted to death. How do you like Wichita compared to this little berg? I love the fishing around here- just need to get back to it! Anyway- thanks for the help. Lord knows I need plenty! Gater~ I hear you! That old a$$ end you had in yours, prolly made mine look like a dragster!
Ah, well I never actually attended the Pitt, just visited my girlfriend while she did. And she still does attend there, as far as I know. That would be the only problem with your fair little city... the b***h still lives there. Anywho, my grandfather lives just north of Ft Scott. I need to get out there and see him and then I need to take him down to chicken annies for a bite. Haven't eaten there in over a year.... Let me know what you decide on the rear end.
Hey aimless the reason for the blown 700R4 is you probably didn't build it up some. They are a great tranny but a little on the weak side. I'm using the 700R4 in mine, BUT I'm putting a hardened input shaft, corvette servo, oversized bands, and heavier clutch material. If all that is done then it should last you. BTW they sold my 3:72 out from under me, but I did buy a 3:42. I keep telling myself better gas mileage right???
Why are you worried about gas mileage? Trailer Queen boy? You won't use that much gas driving it on to a trailer! (Sorry, Kevin, but I haven't busted you good in a long time!)
I know I know, the queen won't use much gas anyways, but that's just my way of getting over the heartbreak of loosing such a hard rear end to find for a good price. That was definately good, but you know what they say about payback right.
