bajajoaquin
Senior Member
Poking around here and other places, there seems to be a lot of disagreement and talk about how much power or raciness is appropriate for C bodies. It occurs to me that one of the issues is the three-speed transmission. What these cars really need is a four-speed. I did some math, and with an OD fourth, you could run 3.23 gears and have a 10% lower first gear, with a 1000 RPM drop at 70mph. 3.55s would still see a drop in revs.
I think parts are out there for A518 swaps, and as a Torqueflite with an overdrive in the tailshaft, they should be appropriate transmissions for the big blocks in our cars. There seem to be some clearance issues that are resolved with very small mods (at least in B, E bodies and trucks) and bellhousings are available.
So it seems that if you were rebuilding a drivetrain, it might make sense to rebuild stock, or at least not spend any money on anything that cost more than stock, and spend extra dollars instead on a trans swap. It seems like you would get better acceleration, lower wear, and easier cruising.
Comments? Thoughts? Criticism?
I think parts are out there for A518 swaps, and as a Torqueflite with an overdrive in the tailshaft, they should be appropriate transmissions for the big blocks in our cars. There seem to be some clearance issues that are resolved with very small mods (at least in B, E bodies and trucks) and bellhousings are available.
So it seems that if you were rebuilding a drivetrain, it might make sense to rebuild stock, or at least not spend any money on anything that cost more than stock, and spend extra dollars instead on a trans swap. It seems like you would get better acceleration, lower wear, and easier cruising.
Comments? Thoughts? Criticism?