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Post by Kensterberg on Mar 3, 2006 22:28:37 GMT -5
And FWIW, I think that a lot of the race for more gears is just manufacturers trying to come up with another obvious selling point. Five forward gears are plenty ... and frankly, if you're going to go for more, why not just use a continuously variable transmission (CVT)? Audi and Nissan have had good luck with using those with higher horsepower motors, and they are perfectly smooth -- no actual gears to shift, just a pulley mechanism. Kind of strange to drive at first, but very efficient.
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Post by strat-0 on Mar 4, 2006 12:57:48 GMT -5
Indeed, I think we'll see more CVTs. I've yet to drive one, but it's a fascinating concept that has been in development for many years.
Welp, my tranny was delivered yesterday - should be back on the road Tuesday...
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Post by strat-0 on Mar 7, 2006 22:07:56 GMT -5
GAAHHHH! I got a call from my guy today saying he had the tranny in and it shifted beautifully, but it still had the horrible 'clanking' sound! He took off the differential cover and there were sheared-off gear teeth in the case! Ouch! When the tranny let go, it took the rear end right out with it! (Or vice versa?) Once again, not too surprising - it made a helluva bang when it went! The tranny was definitely toast - it wouldn't shift out of first, and I really didn't expect the stock TH350 (plus only a shift kit) to hold together too long anyway. And it's not a shock that a 30-year-old, stock single-leg pumpkin would take a shit with that engine in front of it. But it sure is getting into my pocket book! My friends try to console me with the "no car note payments" mantra, but I'm getting a little frustrated! So, now is the time to make the upgrade to a limited-slip differential ("posi"). I've been digging for one in the online bone yards and have a few good candidates, mostly from police interceptors. They are rare, though, and so I'll have to pay around $100 truck freight to get one here. There's one up in Don's neck o' the woods. And they want about $250 - $350 for the complete rear axle assembly with everything (chunk, housing, axles - it's the whole back of the drive train - cheap!!). But it starts to add up!  Well, it needs it anyway - the thing breaks loose on a wet road just trying to gently pull away from a light. Always has, and 10+ years with that 400 engine in front surely fatiged those poor, wimpy little 2.73 gears in that chunk. The Sleeper will have positraction. |
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Post by strat-0 on Mar 7, 2006 22:27:15 GMT -5
lol! 340 hp will have to do for now, but it's the 435 lb/ft torque that's the kicker! Anything more would likely leave the rear end or an axle in the road! That's the next weak link.
Um, how prophetic is that? I guess I saw it coming. Posi.
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Post by strat-0 on Mar 22, 2006 21:59:43 GMT -5
slow burn...
So, I searched the world over for a positraction rear axle assembly that will fit (has to be a 4 3/4" bolt circle on the axles to fit my wheels and the drive shaft) and I find one in fucking Iowa. $350 + $130 truck freight. They ship it on a slow boat and it finally gets here and the guy starts putting it in...
Only it's way bigger and doesn't fit. The rear end housing is way too long. Turns out it's a 5" bolt circle. I could have gotten one of those all day, much closer to home, and with fewer miles on it and probably cheaper. I didn't want to do that because that opens an assortment of problems - I would have to get different sized wheels for the front and rear and thus couldn't rotate the tires (unless I change the front rotors and wheels) and I like the Camaro wheels I put on it a few years ago. They're not flashy - I don't want shiny, gaudy aftermarket wheels; that ruins the whole "Sleeper" affect. I just wanted some slightly wider, nice alloy wheels, and that's why I bought the ones I did. Plus it means modifying the drive shaft to fit.
So, whatcha gonna do? I called the guy in Iowa to bitch about it, and he is sending the rear wheels via UPS (gratis), but of course they won't match the front ones... So I'll have to deal with the wheels situation somehow - still straining my brain on that. My guy has sent the drive shaft out to be cut and welded ($125). Nothin' is easy, eh? Or cheap.
But the main thing is: I'm sick of driving that shit-eating Geo! I want my Chevy back! Oh, well, each of these steps is an upgrade. I just don't know what I'm going to do about the wheels. I've got good rubber now, but they may be too fat for stock wheels, and I'll be dipped in shit before I put some damned ugly-ass, conspicuous chrome aftermarket wheels on it. And that's really all they offer.
So, you see my dillema. At least it won't be light in the rear end anymore, and will hook up good. It's a waste to have all that torque and not be able to apply it well to the pavement. That will be fixed, anyhow. But, damn! Mods can really open up a can of worms!
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Post by ScottsyII on Mar 31, 2006 13:28:26 GMT -5
Aftermarket hideous chrome... not good! But hey won't the sleeper be a dream to drive once all these mods are complete?? Looking forward to reading your driving impressions after you get her back on the road! :-)
From all reports old WUV - 260 is functioning beautifully and without issue back in the land of Oz - my dad's new tires seem to have tightened up steering response (the old ones kinda dulled the whole equation) and there are no major mechanical probs to speak of.... good to hear my old girl is living up to my expectations!
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Post by strat-0 on Apr 5, 2006 20:26:38 GMT -5
Glad the WUV is hangin' tough, Scottsy! You missing it already?  Latest update on the Sleeper: I was able to find a machine shop to drill the axle flanges for the 4 3/4" bolt circle, so I was able to use my wheels and tires, so that was a good thing. My guy had it ready for me last Thursday. While I was there, I counted the teeth on the ring and pinion gears in the old rear end and determined that it had 2.42 gears. When I got home, I chalked the drive shaft and a tire to determine that the new rear end has 3.08 gears. For the uninitiated, this means that the reduction in the gear ratio on the old rear end was 2.42:1, meaning for every 2.42 revolutions of the drive shaft, the axles turn one revolution. This is a pretty normal "highway gear." So, going to the 3.08 gears is a significant gear reduction, which provides more torque. It also means higher RPMs for highway driving, which is not a good thing, because it uses more gas and limits your top speed. When I drove it to work Friday, I learned that I have created a monster. The one time when I sorta nailed it, it lifted the whole front end (not off the ground, mind you, but it unloaded the front end like a race car, didn't spin, and took off like bat out of hell). Only trouble is, on the way home it started slipping real bad and then got where it wouldn't shift. Not good (and this tranny is supposed to take it - it's tricked out). I took it back to the guy and told him I thought they sent me a lemon. After checking it out, he agreed. So, I have adjusted my plan of action. I'm sending back the defective tranny for repair/replacement, but I have ordered a different transmission from another outfit. This one is a 700R4, which is the daughter of the Turbo 350 I had, similar in construction, but with a 4-speed instead of 3, with high gear being an overdrive. Again for the uninitiated, with a non-overdrive transmission, high gear is "direct drive," or 1:1 input/output, but with overdrive, your tranny output shaft is actually turning faster than the input. In this case, it's 0.7:1. That's a good thing. That will help to offset the lower-geared rear end, so I will retain decent fuel milage and top speed, and still get the benefits of the lower-geared 3.08 rear end. Does all that make sense? You will be tested on Friday. I'll have to just sell the Turbo 350 when it comes back, which won't be too hard, but I'll have to discount it a little to move it. Oh, and the 700R4 with the necessary conversion components is twice as damn much as the Turbo 350 was. 1,700 samolians altogether, plus I gotta pay the guy another $275 to put it in again. What are you gonna do? In for a penny, in for a pound. Woe be to the chump that wants to try to prevent the "family sedan" from merging onto the highway, or cut it off. "See ya! Sucks to be ya!" |
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Post by rockkid on Apr 10, 2006 10:13:13 GMT -5
Ferrari guy BUSTED!
LOS ANGELES -- A Swedish video game entrepreneur under investigation in the crash of an exotic Ferrari worth $1 million US in Malibu has been arrested on suspicion of grand theft, a Sheriff's spokesman said.
Stefan Eriksson, 44, was arrested at his Bel-Air home Saturday after detectives searched it for six hours Friday, Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said yesterday.
Detectives concluded the wrecked Enzo Ferrari, plus a Mercedes and another Enzo Ferrari in Eriksson's collection, were owned by British financial institutions, said Whitmore. Eriksson apparently brought the cars to Los Angeles when he moved here from Britain last year. But financial institutions that held titles to the vehicles said payments had lapsed, Whitmore said.
Eriksson was in the Ferrari that police say was doing 260 kmh when it hit a pole on the Pacific Coast Highway and all but disintegrated. He escaped the February crash with only a cut lip.
Looks good on him IMO
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Post by ScottsyII on Apr 11, 2006 11:38:58 GMT -5
Of course I miss the lil' beastie I knew as Wuv! I shall have to take her for a good bash down the freeway upon our next familial visit to Australia - and give her a good polish and detailing as well... ;-) Looking to get my Wisconsin license pretty soon - told its not too hard, so for the meantime it's practice practice practice...
But hey I am getting thinner and fitter with all the walking I have done lately - beautiful day out here today too, definitely going to do some on foot exploration...
Hope the sleeper comes up good some time soon - you've been waiting on that a long time now!
Rockkid - what a fascinating development to that story!
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Post by strat-0 on Apr 12, 2006 9:00:20 GMT -5
Still dead in the water. Transmission to be delivered today...
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Post by ScottsyII on Apr 12, 2006 9:13:23 GMT -5
Lets hope this is the transmission to end all your transmissions woes!
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Post by strat-0 on Apr 18, 2006 20:14:00 GMT -5
Thanks, Scottsy! Me, too! I picked it up today, but only just drove it home. It was rush hour anyway. I thought about taking it for a spin to evaluate it tonight, but I've popped the top on a few already, so I'll drive it to work tomorrow to see. Seemed OK. I know the guy had to do some creative engineering on the throttle valve cable bracketry, which is a critical setting on these trannies. Well, now that it's in, I'm quite capable of tinkering with it. Also want to go easy for a while and let these drivetrain components get to know one another before I nail it too hard. Wish me luck! ...Well, the fellers ribbed me for bein' behind
So I thought I'd make the Lincoln unwind
Took my foot off the gas, an' man alive,
I shoved it on down into overdrive.
Wound it up to a hunnerd and ten
My speedometer said that I'd hit top end
My foot was glued like to lead to the floor
That's all there is and there ain't no more
- Hot Rod LincolnI got more, for sure, but only at the track! |
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Post by RocDoc on Apr 20, 2006 16:56:34 GMT -5
Good luck, definitely...try some holy water on that thing while you're at it!
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Post by strat-0 on Apr 30, 2006 0:05:17 GMT -5
She's a monster.
I did the math, and even with the lower 3.08 rear end, I'm turning less rpms in overdrive than before in high gear (1:1 with the old TH350), which means better fuel mileage, though it will now unload the front end at any speed below about 40 mph.
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Post by strat-0 on May 3, 2006 21:15:23 GMT -5
My best time at time trials tonight was 9.44 @ 70 mph. That's pretty damn quick for an every day driver! My reaction time of .811 was only fair (.500 is perfect and anything over 1.00 seconds is "sleeping at the light"). I've got to work on the transmission tv cable to get it to shift better. It hooks up real good - that posi made the difference. It spins for about 30 feet. I think it'll run in the 8s when I get it to shift better. It's shifting too soon and too soft. Still not bad at all! The Sleeper got a little respect!  |
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