<VV> 61 Loadside update and questions

[Dale Dewald]

At 12:00 11/23/2008 -0500, Jamie Reinhart wrote:

 >>snip<< (discription of damage to a 102 HP engine)

>   if the rear end is junk I have two options. I have a 3:27 ratio rear 
> end lying around or I know a club member who is willing to sell me a 
> parts van at a great price. I see the 3:27 was an option in the FCs.

The 3.27:1 ratio R & P was an early option that included a special 4.26:1 
first gear 4-speed transmission.  It was otherwise never offered by GM in 
the FC line.

>  Is the 4-speed and the 3:27 rear end a livable combination or should I 
> stick with 3:89 gears?  Thanks in advance for all your helpful replies.

I have a 3.27 ratio gear in our '65 Greenbrier along with a 3.65:1 first 
gear 4-speed behind the stock FC 110 engine.  In my opinion, this is an 
acceptable combination that requires a bit of extra clutch slippage to get 
moving, but is still acceptable. I would therefore not hesitate to put this 
drivetrain behind a 164 ci  95, 110 (FC=889 cam?), or 140PG engine.

I assume from your description that you will be rebuilding a 145 ci 102HP 
engine.

I would not recommend 3.27:1 rear behind a 145 ci engine, especially a 102 
HP, unless you could also find one of the rare 4.26:1 first gear 
4-speeds.  I am not saying that you could not do it, rather, it would not 
be as fun to drive and would burn up clutches faster. It is also possible 
that you may have to use 3rd gear to maintain speed against a strong head 
wind. My recommendation is to find a 3.55:1 rear end if your goal is to 
reduce RPM's at highway speeds, otherwise stick with the 3.89:1 ratio.

NOTE: the parts van likely has a 3.89:1 rear, but many engines/transaxles 
were swapped over the years.  There is a good chance it may have something 
else....

Dale Dewald
Hancock, MI