OK,, I think I've lost my mind.. Was checking for the gear ratio of the pumpkin I am removing. ( just to see ) anyway, jacked one tire off the ground and spun tire to count drive shaft revolutions. The shaft only spun about 1- 3/4.. so I lifted both tires. same thing.. hmmmm.. do I double this number or am I not doing this right..I can build an engine but can't figure a ratio... I am wanting to put this in my mav cuz it's a limited slip.. I dont think the mav is..but here is question 2.. I am not going to be racing my mav.. just a cruizer. is it worth the effort to change them out.. for you thoughts.
If you are cruising, don't swap. you will never know the difference. Also, there should be a metal tag on one of the bolts on the differential. If you scope this out, there will be the numbers that correspond to your gear ratio on it. If it is rebuilt, then it may not have the tag. There are a string of numbers with spaces in them, you will recognize a 3 digit string as a gear ratio.
its a full slip open not a trac lock limited slip rear if you was able to turn the tire with the other on the ground
That method of determining gear ratio does not work. Only real way is to count the teeth on the ring and pinion, and divide. Your original rearend should have a little metal tag on it with the ratio stamped on it...
ratio Thanks guys. was sure it was limited slip.. would spin both tires in gravel..but I think I will just keep the one in the car. It is in a truck I am getting rid of, just got under it today to check it out closer and there is a lot of slop in it. probably wore out or something. I have never messed with rears so I will not do the swap..sorry I can't help it..:bananaman :bananaman I love this guy.
It could still be a track lock rear with worn clutches. Only way to tell for sure is to pull it. An open rear can spin both tires.
:confused: I've rotated the wheel TEN times and counted the DS revolutions (divided by 10) to get the gear ratio. Why is this not a good method? <---- wants to learn
With an open rear, if you only jack up the one side, it will spin twice as fast due to the spider gears. If you jack up both sides they turn in opposite directions. As long as their both spinning at the same rpm, you can count revolutions and devide. But any drag on one side will make the opposite spin faster to make up the difference. Usually if you keep one tire on the ground, spin the drive shaft until the tire rotates 2 revolutions, then pretend it only did 1, you will probably get close.
gear ratio ok.. I had both wheels off the ground and the DS spun 1 3/4. so? That would make the gears aprrox. 3.50's??? Now in the truck at 55 my RPM's were about 2800.. does that sound about right? lol.. phew. this is getting complicated. brain hurts need Any way my new question is should I even bother removing the gears in the hopes someone might want them? seeing as how I am unsure if its even limited slip..
The short answer is...drive it. If it is comfortable, keep it. If you don't like it, change it. I just recently swapped out a 2.79 for a 3.80. It is nice for take-offs, but runs at 3250 RPMs on the higway at 65 mph, and heats my engine up. I will keep the 3.80s, since I am hard-headed and WILL solve this dilemma, but do what you are comfortable with. If I wasn't taking it to the track once a month, I would have kept the 2.79 rear, and been very happy with the 20 mpg and the low cruising RPMs. But the track has gotten me hooked, and I want to beat that 2004 mustang I raced last weekend, who beat me by .9 seconds on the 1/8 mile. Gladly, I am currently beating my 360 HP Dodge Hemi Ram 1500 pickup, but not my much. It feels good that my homebuilt 3.80 rear, and mostly rebuilt 302 is kicking a$$ on my Hemi. Even with stock 8:1 compression.
I really like my 3.55s. I think 3.40s and 3.55s (or 3.50s if it's a 9-inch) are ideal for a performance oriented, street-driven Maverick/Comet. 3.70s, 3.80s, and 4.11s would be great with an overdrive tranny, or a car that's mostly used for racing...
