What would be the best gear for street/ strip application on a FULL SIZE BUICK? :3gears: :3gears: :3gears: :3gears:
Alot of guys like the 3.42's for street and strip. Personally, if they were available, I wouldn't hesitate to run 3.90's or even 4.10's, but that's just me :Brow: .
Considering the size of the tires that a Riviera uses is quite a bit larger than the size the A-body cars use, I think the 3.90 gears would work great to get the larger mass of these cars moving, especially if you were thinking about using an overdrive automatic transmission with it. Later, RS
Well it comes down to how much of each type of driving you will do. The 3.42 will be better for more street. I hate them for highway driving because the RPMs are too high but around town and short trips they are sweet. If you're more strip oriented I'd go with a 3.73 or 3.90 but be forewarned they will suck when you take the car on the highway......but the trade off might be worth it depending how you use the car. Unless you are putting another axle under the car, I don't think you'll find anything lower than the 3.42 that will fit the carrier. 3.91s were an option for the Riv but I've never seen or heard of a Riv than had them.
The low gear sets are out there. Tom Telesco and another board member have sets of 3.91's in there possesion. I think Tom even has a set of 4.45's too. I don't think they'd part with them though, and if they did it would take a pretty nice chuck of change.
Or some one could build the whole rear with a 8.5 center so you can use any gear ratio or spool or performance posi unit that are readily available.
It seems he's come up with a way to ditch the entire 9-3/8" pumpkin, gears and carrier completely, welding a 8.5" between the axle tubes in their place. Looking forward to hearing more detail as well. Devon
I think it's a great idea. Wondering if the pinion flange requires anything different either in u-joint selection or driveshaft length? Devon
Interesting... Looks and seems like a good idea, but there is a BIIIIG questionmark in my mind going from 9-3/8ths down to 8.5??? Seems that would be awful light for our big Rivies... For a "driver" that may not be such a big deal, but even the 9-3/8ths is the weakest link in the drivetrain when pushing performance. [I haven't seen him on here for a long time but specifically referring to Don Kujawa's blown 65 Riviera. http://v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=74396] Erik
Erik, comparing a stock 8.5" to a stock 9-3/8", I would agree. But the fact is the high strength of the aftermarket parts available for the 8.5" put it in a league above, no doubt about it. Someone looking for low 11's or better out of a full weight Wildcat/Electra/Riviera will probably be taking the next step up to a 12 bolt or 9" with aftermarket parts to survive. Devon
I'd like to see a low 11 full size!!! LOL! Now wer're talking some SERIOUS rear-end! I get what you are saying Devon about availability. I just have to convince myself (and admitedly I probably need help being convinced) that aftermarket gears/posi at 8.5" ring gear diameter are going to be stronger than factory 9-3/8"... Im just sayin..If going to all the trouble anyway, why not go with a 9" to begin with? Plenty of them lyin' around in the bone yards. Same style removable 3rd member, and I don't think your pinion flange question will be as big of an issue either. At that point the biggest question will be what kind of housing ends you want for what kind of brakes. Since you will likely have to change lengths anyway, a lot of options to upgrade to disks in the process too. Erik
It comes down to what you're trying to do with a particular combination. Monzaz will be able to give us more info on the pros/cons and limitations of an 8.5" setup. Here's an older article about what can be done with a boat. There are some quicker these days from what I've read. http://www.rowand.net/shop/MechanicalFunnyBone/DasBoat/index.htm Devon
