Getting old changes your perspective.
In the days of our youth, most dudes would rather walk than to drive a 4 door car. 4 doors and station wagons were uncool family cars driven by moms and married dudes. NO single guy wanted them, they just were not our style.
That was how I felt and all my friends shared the sentiment. We all had Darts, Dusters, Camaros, Firebirds, Chevelle and pickup trucks….all of them were 2 door models.
As I approach 60, I am seeing that 4 door classics can also be cool but maybe for a different reason. Nowadays, just seeing any classic on the road is great.
Last year I did some trade work for a guy and he paid me with this:
1969 Dodge Dart “Custom” 4 door. Of COURSE it is green.
Of COURSE it has hubcaps. It was a slant six model but now has a 1973-76 spool type k member. I got it as you see it, a roller but expected to see 9” drum brakes. I planned on doing the usual….swap in an 11” front disc setup and an 8 1/4 from a 70s A body or an 8 3/4 from a 68-70 B body.
Am I lucky?
It already has the 11” front discs. The rear has 11” drums but also an 8 1/4” axle!
I have a mild 360 planned for it along with an A-500. The .69 overdrive ratio will take a 3.23 to 2.22 and a 3.55 to 2.44. What gear ratio is this one?
I jacked up the right rear to get the tire off the ground so I could spin the tire to read the ratio stamped in the ring gear.
The tire wouldn’t turn. Why?
Really? A Sure Grip in an 8 1/4” axle? How rare is that? I raised the left side and was able to spin both tires. From there I found the stamps but they are hard to read. The thin ring gear meant no 3.23 or 3.55, the only gears I want to use.
That sort of looks like a 2.71. That is a known ratio. I counted 46 teeth on the ring gear and 17 on the pinion. That comes up to….
It always surprises me when I see such a tall ratio with a Sure Grip. I have a set of 3.21 gears from another 8 1/4 but I’d prefer a 3.55. Does anyone know if this case can accommodate a 3.55 gears? I remember that there are instances where certain carriers only work up to a certain ratio like a 2.45 and taller use one carrier, a 2.71 and lower use another, etc.
In the days of our youth, most dudes would rather walk than to drive a 4 door car. 4 doors and station wagons were uncool family cars driven by moms and married dudes. NO single guy wanted them, they just were not our style.
That was how I felt and all my friends shared the sentiment. We all had Darts, Dusters, Camaros, Firebirds, Chevelle and pickup trucks….all of them were 2 door models.
As I approach 60, I am seeing that 4 door classics can also be cool but maybe for a different reason. Nowadays, just seeing any classic on the road is great.
Last year I did some trade work for a guy and he paid me with this:
1969 Dodge Dart “Custom” 4 door. Of COURSE it is green.
Of COURSE it has hubcaps. It was a slant six model but now has a 1973-76 spool type k member. I got it as you see it, a roller but expected to see 9” drum brakes. I planned on doing the usual….swap in an 11” front disc setup and an 8 1/4 from a 70s A body or an 8 3/4 from a 68-70 B body.
Am I lucky?
It already has the 11” front discs. The rear has 11” drums but also an 8 1/4” axle!
I have a mild 360 planned for it along with an A-500. The .69 overdrive ratio will take a 3.23 to 2.22 and a 3.55 to 2.44. What gear ratio is this one?
I jacked up the right rear to get the tire off the ground so I could spin the tire to read the ratio stamped in the ring gear.
The tire wouldn’t turn. Why?
Really? A Sure Grip in an 8 1/4” axle? How rare is that? I raised the left side and was able to spin both tires. From there I found the stamps but they are hard to read. The thin ring gear meant no 3.23 or 3.55, the only gears I want to use.
That sort of looks like a 2.71. That is a known ratio. I counted 46 teeth on the ring gear and 17 on the pinion. That comes up to….
It always surprises me when I see such a tall ratio with a Sure Grip. I have a set of 3.21 gears from another 8 1/4 but I’d prefer a 3.55. Does anyone know if this case can accommodate a 3.55 gears? I remember that there are instances where certain carriers only work up to a certain ratio like a 2.45 and taller use one carrier, a 2.71 and lower use another, etc.
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