how bad is the drivability of this thing going to be?

jroach · 04-30-2012, 12:00:33 AM

my camaro was originally a 305 th350 2.41 rear berlinetta. i built a mild 355 and am swaping in a 3.11 1st gear saginaw 4 speed. the problem being i ran out of cash before i could get a lower rear gear set. i expect the engine to make some where in the neighborhood of 250 hp. how bad will it be?
edit: my final 1st gear torque multiplication factor would be 7.4951 with this combo. ihad planned on using a 3.08 posi rear which would give me 9.5788, which is slightly better than a 3.73 behind a muncie, assuming the 2.54 set

Cardinal · 04-30-2012, 12:58:46 AM

Your car may be a bear to get moving from a dead stop with the two series gears ESPECIALLY if you happen to be headed up hill!

Our '79 Camaro Berlinetta came with a 305 SBC, Saginaw four speed, and 3.08:1 posi rear. Wasn't that hard to get moving from a dead stop. The origianal 305 was long gone so I replaced it with a 350 SBC Targetmaster motor. AND the four speed was gone so I installed a 700R4. The only original part was the rear end but I did put new wheel bearings, seals, and new gear lube in it.

big gear head · 04-30-2012, 08:18:38 AM

You should be able to find a complete 3.08 rear end fairly cheap. You can add a posi later. I wouldn't bother trying to swap the gears in your rear end. You would probably come out cheaper by just getting a 3.08 rear end.

Gary S · 04-30-2012, 08:20:54 AM

The 7.49 final gearing is higher than you really want, but I think you will find that it isn't too bad. Keep your rear tires as short as possible until you can change the rear gears.

My 70 SS350 has the factory 3.31 rear gears with A M20 Muncie at 2.52 which gives me a final ratio of 8.34. With 245-60-15 rear tires, this gearing is perfect for the street, and your 7.49 isn't all that far from 8.34.

jroach · 04-30-2012, 11:04:24 AM

good to hear, most of my driving is country driving ie. having to stop every 2 miles or so depending on where im going.
i have 225 70 14s right now. having 14s pretty much decides my tire size for me. i could rotate the 215 70 14s off the front to the back.
thanks, jake

Cataldo · 04-30-2012, 07:06:41 PM

I'd agree with the guys and jump to a 3.08 rear end. with the low first gear, the 3.08 won't be bad. The 2.41's on the other hand will probably make you hate life. haha. well maybe not that bad, but launching will be trash and just stop and go might be a little bit of a bear.