I have a 2.93 posi that will be going into my '72 Boattail. I'd love to find a 3.42 9 3/8, but they are hens teeth. The motor I'll be running in this car is a Trishield 455 with around 400 horse and 510 ft-lbs of torque. I'll also be running a Trishield Stage 1 converter with a 2,700-3,000 stall. At some point I'll be rebuilding the transmission (hopefully not real soon) and was wondering if putting in a low gear set might be a worthwhile compromise between the unobtanium 3.42 and the desire for a little extra performance. I believe the standard first gear in the TH400 is 2.48 and the low gear sets run in the 2.75 range. If I did the math correct, this would give me about a 3.23 equivalent in first while still retaining a highway friendly 2.93 in third. This is a street car that will see occasional track time and may also be put in service as a tow vehicle (open trailer weight plus GSX weight). What are the pros and cons? Performance? Durability? Street manners?
Hey Ken i have low gear set in mine works great. i have 3.31's. A little drop off when shifting into 3rd at the track not bad for a street car.Make sure you get the right gears ask around i forget the brands because some are junk. I have seen your burnouts you need the best brand.Hows the 20 year war coming.LOL
I was told they tend to break in the full size cars, unless you use a heavy duty one out some oe application. Also an expensive mod.
Hi Steve, thanks for the input. I've brought in hired guns to help end the 20 year war. The GSX is going to a shop to be finished. Or at least put together as far as my $$$ can stretch. ray:
Valuable input as I don't want to put together a tranny and have it frag almost immediately! It's about a $440 mod (for aftermarket parts), but I've heard of 3.42 ring and pinions going as high as $650. :shock: I wonder if OE parts are as hard to come by as a proper 3.42 set?
