From 2.80 to 3.00 gears

Just_Fare

Active member
Hey folks,

I have an opportunity to purchase a stock Ford 3.00:1 open gears and was wondering if it would make sense to do so. Right now I have the original 2.80 gears which are a little sluggish and don't seem to like hills. Should I bother making the switch or should I find a set of 3.25s? Are used gears an item that should be stayed away from?

Thanks as always,

CC
 
What kind of rear are we working on? if you found a 3.00 im assuming a 8" or 9" since that wasnt offered for the measly 7.25. 3.25 will increase your pulling power without greatly changing hwy rpm a general rule of thumb is that an increase or decrease of gear ratio by .5 will give you roughly a 500 rpm increase or decrease.
 
I don't see what axel U have, transmish or vehicle - probably am not familiar anyway (C sig below).
Start ur Q w/what ur drivin conditions R & what ur current prroblems in it R for acurate answ...
That step (.20) does not seem like much of a jump (but again I'm ina different world).
For some perspectives U could run 1 of the on-line gear/rpm calculators (plug in driveline numbers:
tire sz, transmish gear, several different rear gears to C the results). Alot easier/cheeper than actually road testin.

"... Are used gears an item ..."
Make sure @ pre-purchase to inspect the face, 'corner' and edge of every single tooth in the gear. Look for galling just like U would on any motor or bearing surface (un-noticeable to many folks). With the rear gear it can show a pattern on a group of teeth (may B not all) that lets U know it was set up wrong in the housing. Some damage is obvious (lack of lube, etc) where teeth R chipped or cracked, etc. These r instances on which to pass.

Lastly, I'll relate what an ol timer said to me (he went frm horse'n buggy to maintainin Edge & Expi state police vehicles) "ya only gotta B close w/rear gear'n carbs..." so it takes some work to set up ur new gears correctly. U can hire it out too.
 
To answer the questions, it is an 8" rear on a '66 Fairlane with a 200 l6.

I'm getting the general impression that perhaps the small difference wouldn't really be that noticeable. Also, this is an item that is located away from me and I wouldn't be able to inspect it before buying. There, I've pretty much convinced myself that it's not worth it, but I needed help from you guys to get there.

So should I keep an eye out for a 3.25 then? Is it the happy medium? Obviously we all want the magic gears that give us better millage than a Prius yet smoke Cobras in a street race but that'll never happen.

Regards,

CC
 
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