11-12-2019, 04:40 PM | #21 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: on the Littlefield
Posts: 6,159
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Re: Gear ratio
I think Ford did a good job with stock rear ratio, if you start doing modifications it has to match--- put in a cam that raises the torque peak and then change the rear to make the engine run below torque and you can end up with poor fuel economy and low power, functionality lugging the engine
Years ago the rear went bad in parents motor home, I had a cube van and the rear was borrowed from it, the original rear in the motor home was 4:11, the cube van has 4:56, with that rear the motor home got 1 more mpg on a trip to Florida--- 10% more mpg--and yes, the cube can sometimes sound like it needs another gear |
11-12-2019, 04:49 PM | #22 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: on the Littlefield
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Re: Gear ratio
So I have been trying to break my engine, it's been over 30 years--- speeds over 60 all day, 3rd gear starts, long parade in first at very slow idle, constantly using full throttle, -- the next day after new Babbitt I knew it would go 67, it's the first engine I poured my own, how will I know how good I did if I don't try to break it--- the engine I paid to have done before was carefully broken in, after 500 miles it wasn't driven over 50, it only lasted 3000 miles till Babbitt failure---- if you have to drive it easy to "save the Babbitt" it wasn't done correctly
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11-12-2019, 05:11 PM | #23 |
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Location: Coatesville, Pa
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Re: Gear ratio
So Kurt, How many RPM is your engine turning at 65 MPH with standard 3.78 rear?
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11-12-2019, 05:57 PM | #24 | |
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Location: Largo Florida
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Re: Gear ratio
Quote:
Yup ! |
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11-12-2019, 07:21 PM | #25 |
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Location: Fountain Valley, Calif.
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Re: Gear ratio
Kurt has the only A I know of that can do that. Good for him, but not reality for the rest of us, as we have found out.....
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11-12-2019, 08:55 PM | #26 |
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Re: Gear ratio
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11-12-2019, 09:29 PM | #27 | |
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Re: Gear ratio
Quote:
__________________
The Master Cylinder Enjoying life at the beach in SoCal... |
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11-12-2019, 10:20 PM | #28 |
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Re: Gear ratio
I believe I read somewhere that converting from 3.78 to 3.54 is a gain of 4-5 mph at 2000 or so rpm.
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11-12-2019, 11:21 PM | #29 |
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Location: Danville, CA
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Re: Gear ratio
I have a roadster with 3:27 rear, 400 x 16 tires and a 26% mitchel. Handles the sierras easily with a few 3nd o/d shirts on the long steep parts. I have a good "touring" engine with police head (5.5)
on my coupe i have an unknown engine with 94 psi in all four holes, 3:78 rear with 36% b/w o/d. I haven't gone over the sierras with it yet, but it seems to handle the coast range rather well with only occassional 2nd over stretches on long pulls. I drive both in the 55 mph range + or - a tad. All 400 x 16 tires, no radials. |
11-13-2019, 12:09 AM | #30 |
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Location: Bay City Michigan
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Re: Gear ratio
Gps your speed. you have a tach? If your not getting 55mph or more out of a stock engine you have tuning work to do. or repair. My car drives nice at 50 but is moving around the lane a lot at 55. I need to work on steering and maybe king pins now. Before I go faster. Stock gear stock engine b cam. top speed so far 57 1930 briggs fordor. carb poor ignition poor
Last edited by mike657894; 11-13-2019 at 12:22 AM. |
11-13-2019, 02:00 PM | #31 |
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: lawrenceburg, tn
Posts: 128
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Re: Gear ratio
29 closed cab pickup .
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11-13-2019, 04:16 PM | #32 |
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Germantown,TN
Posts: 517
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Re: Gear ratio
I am running a stock engine in a 31 CCPU with a 3.54 in West Tennessee. Pulls the hills fine and will run 50 to 55 if I want to.
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11-15-2019, 12:59 PM | #33 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Mpls, MN
Posts: 27,582
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Re: Gear ratio
I put a 5.5 head and a 3.27 ring and pinion on my friend's 31 wide bed pickup, and it's the perfect driving machine.
The rest of the engine and pickup is all stock. |
11-15-2019, 01:26 PM | #34 |
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Location: Northwest CT
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Re: Gear ratio
I agree with Kurt, Patrick and Purdy. I know the stock ratio works well for me. Good power mid range, climbs hills nicely, and doesn't feel like it's working to hard even at 50-55. This is with a 5.5 head and a "touring" cam from Brattons, everything else in the drive train is stock.
Just for kicks I tried to see if the new engine could do 65, it could but it wasn't happy about it. Perfectly happy to buzz right up to 55 but faster than that was pushing it hard. EDIT: Just remembered that the speedo is about 3-4mph slow so I was closer to 68-69. Either way, I would not recommend going that fast. Last edited by ryanheacox; 11-15-2019 at 01:31 PM. |
11-18-2019, 06:53 PM | #35 |
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Location: Highland, CA
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Re: Gear ratio
Here's a gear ratio/MPH calculator I did some time ago. Assumes a 19" tire with a 30" diameter and shows the various RPM vs MPH of 3:78, 3:54, and 3:27 axle ratios with/without a 26% Mitchell OD. The 4-Speed is in there because one of my cars has a 4-speed and I wanted to see the effect of the Axle Ratios and OD on that granny 1st gear.
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