Project Blue Bird

I used to run a Pontiac 455, similar to your setup as far as high torque and hp at relatively low rpm as compared to a small block. I ran a 4 speed and 3:73, then a 3:90 gear and had good results on the street and had plenty between lights in a’72 LeManse and a ‘76 Ventura, both cars about double the weight of a bucket. It would have been fine with 3:23 or 3:42 gears as well. I built the engine with a hi duration cam, so the taller gears were necessary to get it into its rpm range for optimum power. Fuel mileage? Lol, gas was a buck a gallon. You need to consider the low weight of your car. You will not need tall gears. Running engines as discussed at high rpms like you would a small block is rather counter productive unless you build the engine to do such. Your engine will make plenty of power in the 3k-6k rpm range without running the snot out of it. Setting it up to run at its optimum rpm in the mph range that you prefer to drive at would be my goal. It all depends on what you want. From my perspective and past experience, the beauty of a big torque monster engine is that it doesn’t have to wind up to 8 grand to make power, you got it just off idle and through mid rpm range.

 

Usually, . . . . Low and High/tall are opposite (and rather counter intuitive to) the ratio expressed numerically.

But I read the post as "taller gears" referencing the numerically higher ratios, which would be backwards from the usual way we'd expect to hear it.

 

I am also used to a larger # being a lower gear & a smaller # being a higher gear. 4.11 for street use & 2.73 for open road ( freeway). I'm hoping to go in the middle with my 3.40's ( limited slip ). My v8 Vega swap had 4.88's , the car was horrible on the freeway.

 

When in high school we referred to the cars with high gears as long legged gals.

 

I put 4.86 in my 9",. but with the 0.7:1 overdrive, it's like a 3.40 . . . . Gotta love the OD transmissions.

Highest posted speed limit on the island is 55, (and it has traffic lights) so no need to gear for interstate cruising here.

 

To clarify what I meant by tall gears: I meant that you won’t need a 4:11 or 4:56 type, a 3:23 or maybe even your 2:90 or whatever it is should suffice. Again, do the math to get your engine to run in it’s power range to optimize your components. Hope I didn’t cause any confusion. I was thinking tall equates to high rpms which aren’t necessary with a big cubic inch engine in a light car.

 

Sorry I hadn’t posted much as of late. We’ve been plugging away at it. Still finishing up the steering, and started on the wooding. I'll post up some pics over the next couple days. Thanks to everyone here for the endless knowledge as we roll through this project.

 

some of the wooding so far. hope to start glassing in soon.

 

Coming along nicely, True! Love that front end shot.

 

Good work.

I see you have a good store of TP

 

Hehehehe!!! I noticed that also !

 

Maybe a bit too much toe in.

 

BWHAHAHAHAHA. Thats the perks of your mother in law living with you. She's obsessed

 

Reminds me of some women I've seen. Great stance look good coming or going.

 

Looking great TrueBlue.

 

The old man has been down with Covid for a few weeks, but we finally got a chance to work a little bit this weekend. Got some interior stuff wrapped up, steering column, master cylinder and pedal assembly, and fuel tank mocked up. Next weekend we'll set up the rear radius rods and hopefully be a little closer to tearing back down.

 

Sorry to her you were ill; glad you have kicked it!
Progress on the build looks good. What kind of shocks are you planning to use?

 

Happy to see you've recovered. Your project is looking great.