8" Rear Stock Gears

I don't know but maybe you guys can help me; What are the stock gears that come in a 77 maverick? I'm really not sure if I read the tag on the center section correctly but I think it said "2.79".

 

It was either 2:79 or 3:00 so I'd say you read it right.

 

Thinks a lot, but on another note I really don't know what is so special about gears anyway.

 

The gears have everything to do with how many RPM's your engine turns at certain speeds. Let's assume you are running stock 14" tires that are 26" tall, here is the MPH at different gearings while running 2,500 RPM:

2.79 gear - 70 MPH
3.00 gear - 64 MPH
3.25 gear - 60 MPH
3.55 gear - 54 MPH
3.70 gear - 52 MPH
4.11 gear - 47 MPH

 

So low gears give a car better acceleration at low rpms.

 

First of all, 2.79 is considered a high gear and 4.11 is considered a low gear.

You want a 4.11 gear on the drag strip because you want the quickest move off the line and to be a top RPM at the finish line. You want a 2.79 gear to drive on the freeway for a long trip. The lower the RPM, the better the gas mileage.

 

Numerically low gears make the car slower in accelleration. Numerically higher gears make it faster in accelleration. A numerically high gear ratio is what's considered a lower gear ratio, does that confuse you ?

 

This almost sounds like clicking start to shut down your computer.

 

Confusing, but I'm learning.
So for a mild mannered 302...thats a daily driver and weekend road warrior, I should go with a 3.00 or 3.25 gear setting?

 

For an engine that you don't spin up over 5,500 RPM, a 3.25 gear is an excellent choice. If you spin up 6,000 RPM or so, 3.55 would be good. An ideal setup is a 3.55 or lower gear with either an AOD or 5-speed.

Just a reminder, the previous remarks were my opinion and not to be construed as genuine fact.