[T3] Transaxle modification

["Steven Ayres" <comwest@well.com>]

Along with a necessary rebuild, I've just had the transaxle on my '66
modified to better match my engine performance. As many here know, I'm
running a 1641 with a mild cam upgrade, big-valve heads and ported late T3
exhaust. I like moving with traffic on the freeway, and around here that's
80-90mph. But I didn't like doing this at 3800-4200rpm, not because I don't
think the motor can handle it, but my cam peak torque is a little below
that, so I didn't feel nimble at speed. To bring the revs down we had to
find a way to spin the axles faster, and the stock 4th gear is already an
overdrive at 0.89.

Specifically, we switched from the stock 4.125 to a 3.88 ring & pinion and
kept the stock 1st, 2nd and 4th gears. To better distribute peak torque, we
shortened 3rd from 1.26 to 1.37. The work was done by Rancho Performance on
my original stock transaxle at a cost of about $900 and took about three
weeks to turn around, including shipping.

Overall this mod trades some torque out of the hole for lower-rpm cruising.
It takes a little more throttle on takeoff, but I'm moving 85mph at 3500rpm
in 4th. I can comfortably spin 2nd up to about 50mph. The new 3rd punches in
enthusiastically and offers a very comfortable range for most mountain
driving, where before I was doing a lot more shifting between 2nd and 3rd.

The additional torque required may not make this an appropriate mod for a
stock engine, but if you've beefed up a little and you're more interested in
touring than drag racing, I can recommend it highly. My car is also lowered
front and rear (a little more in the front), and I run KYB grey shocks and
an EMPI camber compensator.

Steven Ayres, Prescott AZ
'66 343


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