Ruby's first 200 mile cruise

[clinck]

<img src=images/icon_speech_wow.gif border=0 width=23 height=15 alt=Insert Speech Icon: Wow!><img src=images/icon_speech_wow.gif border=0 width=23 height=15 alt=Insert Speech Icon: Wow!><img src=images/icon_speech_wow.gif border=0 width=23 height=15 alt=Insert Speech Icon: Wow!> Yup, today was Ruby's first long distance cruise.
Carolyn and I went with the Arizona Cobra's for a jaunt up to Prescott this morning. If you Easterners look on a map of Arizona you will see that Prescott lays north of Phoenix some 90 miles. We went to Wickenberg first so that we could climb the Mollogon Rim to the flat mesa where Prescott is based. That's a 1 1/2 hour drive up a bunch of switchbacks that will make your clutch leg wither up and die. Elevation change is 4000 feet...up all the way and twisties to die for.. God we had fun. The car ran well. Elevation change showed me what fuel injection was invented for. As we drove higher up the rim the power tapered off with each mile up. But please let me explain that Ruby has more than enough HP to challenge any elevation change. I mean she was blastin thru the straights and double gurgling thru the downshifts into the corners...on to the throttle and scootin out of the apex like a rabied cheetah.
Now to the point of this mail. Yea, we had a great time but I found that the top loader was short in a number of area. One..I don't like the long ratios. Two.. I don't like the shifter. Three...I don't like the fact that I am hunting for a gear all tooo often. Four.. I couldn't run with the bigger dogs because at 60 miles an hour I was at 3000 grand.
So, I have made a fairly obvious decision to change transmissions. Question to all my brothers is what am I going to go with. Tremec, Richardson, Ford?

Let's hear the sage wisdom and advise. I mean to do this post haste. I found out today that for a town car my top loader is fine, But I plan to do alot more of these 100- 200 mile road cruises and 50 miles an hour doesn't get it all the time.

Thanks,

Sundown

[gasman]

Sundown, Your toploader 4 speed is the correct transmisson for your car. 60 mph at 3,000 rpm is nothing for these motors. You haven't had your car very long. I would suggest getting use to it before making expense radical changes.

Steve Foushee

[Silk]

I'd echo Steve on this. Give the Toploader a few more months and then see what you think. It does take some getting used to. And also keep in mind that if you swap trannies, the hole in the trans tunnel will have to be relocated. Not a major consideration, but you'll at least need some new carpeting over the tunnel and a little bit of glass work.

Gary
Unique FIA 351W

[eliminator]

Is your Toploader a close ratio or wide ratio??? That could be the problem. I will take my close ratio toploader with a 3:31 rear gear and Hurst Competition Plus shifter over any of the transmissions you listed. Gatlinburg aint the west but it does just fine in the Smoky's.

Rick

[eliminator]

Clinck,

You started another thread on transmissions but you never answered my question. Is it a close ratio or wide ratio, what's your rear gear ratio?. If you don't know the answers, find out before you head off in the "change the transmission" direction. Most people here will help you, but you have to do a little homework to help yourself.

Rick

[clayfoushee]

I think Chris' main issue is that he has to travel long distances on the interstate in Arizona to get anywhere. Thus, his desire for more of an "overdrive" gear. I read his concerns as more about RPMs than anything else. The sloppy shifts were secondary.

But Rick you're right, I love my toploader close-ratio and wouldn't trade it, but I don't do the highway stuff if I can help it. Chris can't avoid it where he lives if he wants to go anywhere.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[clinck]

Guys,
sorry for the sloppy posts. Here's the info: I have a 1965 toploader wide ratio unit. I have owned and driven a number of these trannys over the years. They're good transmissions. My problem is simple. to keep up with other members of the group on the highways I will have to take 3500 RPM's ans still be the last person in the pack. We have long distance drives as we cruise the canyons and valleys of Arizona. Our cruises are of the 200 mile types and the speeds are in excess of 75 miles an hour. Do the math and you see that I am incapable of sustaining those speeds with a 3:55 rearend and 4 gears. If I stay in the city i'm fine but that's not wahts going on out here.
My choice of gearing could make a difference but the performance will suffer. I am not about to change anything until I decide what's right for me and my car.
I wnet out on this last sunday and we drove 75 miles out and 75 mileback. The rest of the guys were running at 75[ with 5 speeds] while I was running at 58 to 60 miles and hour at 3000 RPM's. I was quickly out of their rear view mirrors. Again, no problem except if I had a problem I would be standed and nobody would know..

I guess clay's got a grip on what I am dealing with here.
I am told by Tremec that there will be no difference in Tranny size and that a 3550 will bolt up to my toploader pattern exactly with 8 different positions for the shifter.
I'm still learning here and not jumping to any conclusions.

Thanks

Sundown

[Jim Harding]

Clink,
My last two toys, including this roadster, had 4 speeds with rear end ratios of 3.54. (The Mustang had 3.70 if I remember correctly) I ran them at highway speeds all the time, and as long as I didn't hit the red line on the tach, didn't give it another thought. Gas mileage sucked, but gas mileage isn't in my "fun" equation. My older Mustang, which I sold a few year ago, was still going strong after turning the odometer over twice, albeit on the second engine, but that was before the first turn over.[^] I took many long trips all over the east coast, mostly on the big roads where 65 to 70 was the norm. The Cobra has over 17K on the clock and is running just fine too. One thing I do notice, the exhaust note from the Cobra makes it sound like it's running with it's tongue hanging out..... something that I didn't notice with the Mustang. Both engines were built for street use, something that maybe added to their longevity. I guess what I'm trying to say is, these engines will run all day at 4 to 4.5 K when properly maintained. I'm also confused as to why you find it objectionable to press your engine over 3500 RPM in order to cruise with the pack. Maybe like me, you're hearing the exhaust note and think the engine is on the brink of explosion, when everyone else running the OD trannys sound like their at idle;). I'm not trying to talk you out of the 5 or 6 speed swap, but trying to assure you that the thing isn't going to fly apart if you push the engine to 4 grand on your cruise's.

Go out and enjoy yourself...... and lead the pack:D:D



Jim Harding
La Plata, Maryland

1982 #3004
http://www.capitalareacobraclub.com/albums/album26/1aLeftside.thumb.jpg

[eliminator]

On the Unique Homcoming Cruise, 120 miles round trip I ran 3rd gear as much as 4th. I am running a 3:31 rear gear with a close ratio toploader. We ran up front so we were going 55-70 MPH most time. My 427 likes 3,000+ RPM and I used 11-12 gallons of fuel, pretty much 11 MPG on the whole trip. Mostly small hills and curves. If you want a 5 speed, stick it in there, or a taller rear gear with your toploader.

Rick

[clayfoushee]

Whew......you don't know how good that makes me feel to hear that my gas mileage was exactly the same as Rick's on the cruise with exactly the same engine, trannie, and rear gear. I was also running in 3rd about half the time. A 3:31 will cut down on the thrill factor a bit hooked to a small block, but it does work great in a "stump puller."

Jim also makes a very good point that your engine will easily tolerate the higher RPM cruises, if you can stand the noise. In the 60's before anyone cared about noise and gas mileage, that was normal and nobody knew any better.

Clay

'98 Unique #9299, 427FE side oiler, top-loader (close), 3.31 rear

Annapolis, MD

[gasman]

Jim, you've said it all in your response. And Clay and Rick, I was also in third gear as much as I was fourth on our Homecoming jaunt, running 65 to 70. Recalling my first drive, I was thinking the engine revs were pretty high, thus explaining my initial response on this thread. Sundown, once you get use to the car and the noise, I wouldn't worry so much about RPM. Three months from now if you feel the same way, you will have done your due diligence and be justified in changing it to whatever you like. I think everyone here wants to make sure this is really what you want to do before you do it.

Steve Foushee

[ralphscott]

I also have a toploader close ratio with a 3:31. My 428 got 12 mpg on the same cruise. In fact I get that about all the time as I have kept book on it since I started driving it 4300 miles ago. I have NO complaints about the acceleration or the fuel mileage. I think it is a great combo.

ralphscott #9361