Who makes the best rebuild kit for my q-jet-?1979--I've heard some kitshave gaskets that line upcrappy and have cheap pieces--thanx guys

& whatthe !@#$% was chevy thinking when they put 3:55 's in my '79 ?????-holy crap ,I can't do 85 MPH without redlining the motor.

 

I always used either Hygrade by Standard Motor Products or Borg-Warner. It's been awhile tho since I've used either one. I always check the new gaskets to the old ones to make sure they have all the holes in the right places.

I have a L82 w/ 3.55 gears and it tops out around 130 @ the 6,000 redline. Not sure what your redline is but 3.55s should give you about 22 mph/1,000 rpm. Of course all bets are off if tire OD is not stock and no one change speedo gear in tranny.

 

They were thinking that 55 was the speed limit and that your stock engine produced under 200 HP, so it needed some help in the low end.

I put 3:24's in mine and am thinking of going to a 3:08 or even a 2:73, now I can do 70 MPH at3000 RPM but would prefer to do 70 at about 2000 RPM.

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that seems a tad off? i have 3:73`s in my chevelle 12 bolt with a turbo 350 and about 475hp (383 sb) and it will run 65 mph at 3500 rpm i have taken it well over 100 mph and never gone over 6000 rpm?
it dose however want to pull the front tires off the ground from a stand still SO I THINK I`LL KEEP THE 3:73`s!!!

I agree with 73shark the taller the tire the more top end you will have!!! you may be doin 100 but reading 75 on your speedo??

 

Thanx 73 shark for pointing me towards a carb kit ! And ,for all you guys,would a lock up torque converter help to lower rpm's at top end????????

Thanx a ton

 

NAPA still has pretty good parts- I prefer them over 'Zone, Murrays,ect. My '78 with 3.08 gears is turning 2600 @ 70 MPH, 225/70R15, 350 THM.

 

I agree that my numbers may be a tad off. My speedo may be off by 3 or 4 mph. I had 3:70's in the car and felt like I was rowing a boat with the 5 speed transmission, constantly shifting just to get up to 40 mph. I also had issues with too much noise, heat and vibration. The car has much better manners now, but would be even more suitable for me with a 2:73 rear. I have been doing some research on some of the other forums and have found that the first gear ratio of the transmissioncombined withthe rear gear should give you a ratio of about 9 or 10 to 1. My Richmond Transmission with it's 3:28 first gear will yield approximately 9 to 1 with a 2:73 rear gear and give fine highway cruising performance too. [sm=gears.gif]

Here's a link for a gear and RPM calculator http://www.richmondgear.com/101032.html

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I also have 3.08's. After a rebuild, a 3 sp. manual with OD is goin' in. The tranny came out of a '56 Bel-aire. I'm figurin' on 70 -75 at 2300 rpm.

 

I understand the situation with the high RPM on the highway, at 7,000 and 69mph in my '81. It's an unfriendly rpm for a small block Chevy. I've read that the 2004R transmission bolts up perfectly, is the same length as the turbo 350 and can be built to take any amount of horse power you have. That's the trans I'll eventually use. Chevy did use some unwise decisions when dealing with the drive-trane in these year 'Vettes. Seems like maybe the 55 speed limit of those days may have played a really big role those decisions.
It doesn't make much sence to me either.

 

Hey Deevee, I went to the gear and rpm calcular site,and I've got something wacko-must be the tach (I hope) because I checked the rear ratio,and the speed feels about right-maybe I'm not beatin' the crap out of the motor as bad as I thought-- thanx for the link

C.A.Guyer