3.08 gears.. is it enough for this build?

2 sets of wheels & tires

Yes it is very effective to have 2 different sets
of tires. Around town which do you use? What if you have the short ones on and decide to get on the hwy and go somewhere? Or have the tall ones on and get in a street skirmish? Do you really want to be changing them all the time? I did that years ago. I know I'm not 19 anymore and don't wan't to do that if I don't need to. If you want 2 different final drive ratios then run a 200r4 with a 4.10 (2.75 in O/D) with the convertor locked - you can't beat it for dual duty.

 

Almost always the taller Cobra Street radials. I dont like constantly hearing rocks popping off my quarter panel.

not a problem - then the 3.08's are just that, 3.08 !! In fact, in Salem for the BPG Nats I didn't take them off for 3 days. its about a 20 min drive to and from the track with about 10 min of Highway driving.

....happens all the time :Brow: Get'em to slow down to around 35 mph where I can still reaach down and grab a good handful of 1st but they cant = SeeYaaaaa !!!!

I also cheat a bit as I have a steeper gearset in the TH400 but that doesn't apply to this thread where he's using a TH350.

 

Good point on the 1st gear downshift! :3gears: Can't always get 'em to do that though... :spank:

And around town that low gear set does make a difference vs. what he & I are running.

 

well an update. i got a good on ebay for 3.42 gears. Now im looking for a posi.

 

Those are a good street/strip gear. If you want to bring the rpm's down, just put in a taller tire. With a 28" tire they'll act like 3.08's with a 26" tall tire.

 

Hoping I can throw out a combo set up and get a response on converter suggestions as well.

Here's my planned build: 350-4, T/A intake, TA290-94H cam (duration advertised is 290/294 & power range is 1500-5500 rpm), Poston .030 hyperformed pistons, TH350, 3:08-3:23 gears, Edelbrock 800cfm carb, heads will be competition ported & polished by Jim Burek @ PAE, 27" tires.

That said, I'm look at the TA TC25 Converter, which I believe is a 2500 stall. Not a race car converter but one designed for that little extra bang off the line. Sound like a good selection to you all?

 

gospdgo,

You may be pushing it a bit with that converter if you plan on running a tire in the 26.5" range. If it truly does stall at 2500 rpm, and you go with a 3.08 rear, and a 26.5" tall tire (245/60/15 is about that diameter), then you're rpm at 60 mph will be around 2400. You will be in a state of slip if you spend time at that rpm.

With a 3.23 gear, then you're right around 2500 rpm with a 26.5" tall tire.

Using a little more gear or a little less diameter tire, then it may be a little better. Or, if you won't spend much time cruising around 60 (or lower in Drive), then it may not be an issue.

How will you use this car, and what diameter rear tires do you plan to run on it?

 

Steve and Larry, thank you for that info. Larry, you are correct they do suggest a low stall and they do sell a 2000 stall converter (TA TC20). I guess, I was thinking of the bigger better rule of thumb on this, but logic says otherwise. :Smarty:

It's all coming together now. :TU:

Wonder what my rpm's would be @ 60 mph with that converter?

 

Exactly, i did the math on a lil program and i was looking at 3.73 with 26" tire and it had me over 3700 at 75mph.

3.42 @ 75mph @ 75mph is a meer 3400 with 26" tires. I'll go with 28" once im ready for tires, Now after all this freakin snow melts, i want to pull my motor on start on tearing it down.

Still looking for some help with choosing a torque converter, any ideas would be wonderful and give me a chance to shop around.

 

Other than slip inherent in converters, as Larry mentioned, you won't see much of a change based on the converter.

There's a mathematical formula to get the RPM's of the motor, which Larry wrote down. As I mentioned above in the thread, go to www.ring-pinion.com and click on the calculators link and choose the one for rpm, tire size, etc... Start with your tire size in the lower calculator to approximately determine your diameter (or get out a ruler if you've got the tires handy). Then start inputting information above to see where you'd be at.

 

Great, thanks again guys.

 

350-2 here with a th-350 with B&M valve body 2500 stall 11" TCI Sat special & 3.08's The stall convertor is whats allowing me to keep enjoying this 2 barrel.
A good convertor setup with right gears is kinda like head porting on bang for buck value. It makes the car feel tighter and faster. Even without calibrating your shift points.. ITs just faster off the line.. I love it!! WAit this thread is over a year old !! DOH!!