Jim, great post. I sure wish it were 67'F here in Denver and I was
driving my V8 ,,,,,,,,,,, someday. (By the way how about those
Bronco's).
What ratio was the rear end you removed?
I know there is a reason to move away from the 3.90 toward the 3.00
ratio. My plan is to use the T5 with the .63 5th gear ratio. Right now
my 4 cylinder with a .82 overdrive 4th gear turns about 3000 rpm when
going 65 mph, with the T5 the rpm will go down to about 2250 rpm at the
same speed. So I may try the 3.90 rear end for a while. Did you (or has
anyone else out there?) used the 3.90 rear end ratio? What were your
reactions?
I figured that I would put the engine and transmission at the top of my
list, and put the rear end at the bottom of the list (hehe, couldn't
resist). Any comments?
One last question, does anyone know if Glen Towery has an email address?
Larry Hoy, Denver, CO USA
1969 MGB Roadster (one half of a V8)
1987 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas
It's not how fast you go, it's how fast you go fast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Sun, 04 Jan 1998 19:14:49 -0500 Jim Stuart <jimbb88@erols.com> writes:
>Just thought I would share this with the list.
>
>In my GT, I have a T-5 behind my mostly stock 215, turning a modified 8"
>Ford rear- one of Glenn's with MG ends. I run 195/65/15 tires on 6-1/2"
>rims. Performance was OK, but nothing to buy a full page over. Not quite
>as quick as my V8 roadster.
>
>I decided that my original plan of using a 3.20 rear was probably
>correct, but I could never find a Ford rear with the correct ratio. A
>little math showed me that a 3.50 rear would be good, and in lite of the
>T-5 5th gear of .63, might even be better than the 3.20. Besides, there
>was hope of finding a 3.50 center section. A message to this list
>several weeks ago got a reply from Jack Emery of MG Guys, with a 3.50
>pumpkin finding its way to my front door.
>
>Yesterday was swap day. Nothing eventful. Dropped the drive shaft,
>pulled the wheels, hubs, removed the backing plates, pulled the axles
>partially out, drained, & removed the old center section. "Installation
>was the reverse of removal" with a new gasket and approx. 1.75 quarts of
>85/90 gear oil.
>
>Put about 150 miles on the car since the swap, and I pronounce it a
>rousing success. Much quicker through the gears, and not too big a
>change in 5th. 2000 rpm in 5th was 70 mph, now is about 60. I have a
>mild Crane cam, and I am running "on the cam" more of the time, the
>engine is much more responsive. If you decide to run 15" wheels, give
>some thought to a different ratio than the traditional 3.00/3.07.
>
>Yes, I know the RV8 uses 15" wheels and a 3.00 rear, but that is a 3.9L
>engine, may run lower profile tires, is presumably lighter than my GT,
>has FI , etc. This is meant to be food for thought, not a definitive
>statement of the "correct way to do it". "Your experience may vary...."
>
>Side notes:
>1. Jack Emery was a pleasure to deal with, broad automotive performance
>knowledge. Jack, if you read this, I want a real good deal on whatever
>you come up with as a pan hard rod for my B.
>
>2. You can remove the backing plates without disconnecting the wheel
>cylinders by either removing the cylinder from the plate, or by gently
>bending the brake pipes after removing the tie straps. Either method
>eliminates bleeding the brakes. Bending pipes may result in a crack.
>
>3. I made a simple tool to remove the axles using a large slide hammer.
>I found a short (2") section of thick wall square tube 3" x 3", drilled
>a hole in one side to mach the end of the slide hammer, drilled a hole
>in the opposite side to match the end of the axle. Note that B axles,
>and my custom axle have threaded ends. Bolt the tube to the slide hammer
>& to the axle & slide away! 3 licks was all it took to pull the bearing
>& axle.
>
>4. Boy are V8's FUN!! Its 67 degrees here in Gaithersburg, Md today, & I
>have been DRIVING!!
>
>Good weather & a good New Year to all.
>
>Jim Stuart
>
>
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