Hitch

You know I've been watching this thread for a while and I keep asking myself why no one else has posted this.....

You have a PG 300 Horse car... These combo's don't really exude performance aka tire spinning torque... Your set up doesn't really lend itself to producing this type of action. Even if you do get the tires spinning what does it accomplish? Not trying to be negative just wondering... Dave..

K_F

Dave,

Yes the car does not scream get out of the way (even though the exhaust makes it sound mean ) but my preference would be to get some more kick @ acceleration. A car from the 60's I think should sound mean and be able to burn rubber on demand. At first I told myself that stuff doesn't matter but day by day I see my focus changing to what I think a "muscle car" should be. In short just preference I guess!

g267 Hinde sight is always 20/20 the important thing is that you are there now your car looks awesome. I will check what RPM I feel safe with and take the gear ratio from there I guess (the 3.73 would be ideal as long as everything works out). Instead of the read diff, would I get a signifigant boost by doing the torque converter instead?

SpartyGW

Personally I would leave the converter alone. Even if you had a poorly matched converter and replaced it with one that flashed at or near peak torque of your 327 you'll still be suffering from that terrible starting line gear ratio. I'm not saying aftermarket converters are bad, but honestly a gear change is definitely going to wake the car up more.

Youwish2beme: agreed about the 327/pg combo not being a lethal combo, but by no means would I say for K_F to just throw in the towel and give up trying to make the car fun to drive. You have to drive one of these powerglide/2.73 or PG/3.08 rears to see how bad they are from a dead stop. Tire spinning can only get you into trouble with the law , but I believe what K_F is basically saying is he wants the car to feel respectable when he punches the throttle.

-gw

bgb61

I have a base engine 61 and could lay rubber all day with bias ply tires. Not so when I switched to radials - but what a difference in the ride!

JPatrick

When I'm running my G70 14's, yes 14's I lay rubber with all the big kids.
Give me a wet start and I'll give you a pattern for a bowling alley.
http://www.corvetteforum.net/classics/jpatrick/
All of which is pretty stupid of course

K_F

GG267 - Understood, the torque converter is out. Thanks for your help on this

bgb61 - I've heard that the ride is a heck of a lot smoother on modern radials, never driven a car on bias-ply/poli-glass personally

JPatrick - your car looks nice, what tweaking did you do to your cam and carb? What gear ration are you running? and how much torque are you getting at the rwh after the switch to 14's?

Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith

My GOD, Don't do that!! You will be buying parts left and right VERY soon. You may get away with it a few times, but soon it will come apart! The other posts have told you what you need to do, and that's to build a torque motor and put some rear gear in it. Just don't go toooo crazy with gearing and engine build up. Keep it enjoyable to drive and reasonably fuel efficient. If you are worried about original parts, pick up a used HP small block and slip it in, putting your stocker aside for later. It would be fine to just hop up your motor inside though. Whatever you do, DON'T do the drop starts. That's a real parts killer.

wesmigletz

My 62 currently has a 1982 305 (the 327 is out for a rebuild) that is topped by a Q-Jet and a Performer intake, stock dual exhaust. The PG is out and a stock TH350 sits in its place. The 2.52 first gear of the TH350 makes a world of difference, without affecting the cruise RPM. I am even able to use the stock shifter. The 62 can chirp the tires from a stop, but is otherwise a gutless slug. Curving the distributor and running more initial timing did wonders for the drivability.

If I were in your shoes, I'd get the timing and carb dialed in (on a dyno), then Id replace the PG with a TH350 or a 200R4, and leave the rear gearing alone.

K_F

There seems to be some mixed reviews regarding the rev and shift to drive - thanks all for the feedback on this.

wesmigletz thanks for the trans info I will check them out as well so many options......I love this forum.

newbe60

will burn rubber all day with a 327/300 with the 4.11's only problem is at 60mph your at 3,000 rpm's .. but it just is music to most people's ears

Mike7061

Don't use the neutral rev to drive method.
I applaud your desire for more performance and suggest you do it stepwise.

1) How much $ do you want to spend?
1A) Do your homework and read standard Hotrodding mags and books, there are tried and proven methods for increasing performance. Continue to ask experts (people who build fast cars)
2) Rear gears are great but lower your speed to RPM ratio.
3) A powerglide can be made to produce necksnapping shifts with $ and gears.
4) Get your engine in a top state of tune then decide if and how much more HP you need.
5) All mods cost $. If you performance tune what you have (engine, trans etc.) then start buying parts you will be way better off.

Remember upgrades are addictive, once you start its easy to get carried away. I certainly have.

Good luck
Gerry

Vipermike

In my opinion a transmission swap to either a 200-4R or 700-R4 is the most logical choice. This swap will give you a lower first gear ratio for better acceleration off the line, 4 forward gears versus 2 in the powerglide for better acceleration throughout all speed ranges, a higher top gear for lower RPM highway cruising and less interior noise, and finally better gas mileage (especially if you keep the lock-up torque converter).

Any other performance modification will involve some kind of compromise either to driveability, gas mileage, or comfort. With the transmission upgrade the car will perform better in every aspect and there are no compromises.

You should be able to do the tranny swap for about $900 which is probably close to the same price as any other mods you might end up doing.

K_F

Mike7061: I'm looking to spend under $2000 on the mods and the age old request is that the changes can be easily reversed if needed. Thanks for the tips


Vipermike: The benefits you listed on the trans swap are definetly appealing, do you know how much of an increase in torque the trans swap would actually give me 10% or so? I know the rear end swap would give you big torque benefits however do carry some negatives (High RPM, Reduced Speed, etc.)

Vipermike

The powerglide has a 1.82 first gear ratio. The 200-4R has a 2.74 first gear ratio. With the 3.08 rear end in your car the first gear final drive ratio is currently 1.82 X 3.08 = 5.61. With the 200-4R your first gear final drive ratio will be 2.74 X 3.08 = 8.44. That equates to a 50% increase in torque to the rear wheels in first gear.

To achieve the same torque multiplication with a rear end gear change alone you would have to go to a 4.64 gear (8.44 / 1.82 = 4.64) ..... not a very driveable combination for the street.

K_F

Sounds good, I will compare cost with both and take it from there, Thanks everyone for the comments!!!!

67 327/400

I could get the thing sideways off the line all day long if I wanted to. Do you have radials or bias plys? I never had a problem with any of our small blocks.

K_F

I have radials (Diamondbacks 215-70-15)

toadster

I traded my sluggish PG for a 700R4 in my 300 HP 66 roadster. Not only will the tires squeal in 1st, but I can hear a little chirp in 2nd too. 3rd is not bad either, and then I hit 4th and watch the rpm's drop down to 1800 at 72MPH. Love the OD and gas mileage is sweet on the hiway.

K_F

Sounds nice, based on what I've read the 700 R4 is a great transmission. Are you still able to use the original shifter? What rear end does your 66 have? How do you upshift & downshift with the 700R4? How is the 'feel' of the car acceleration with the 700R4 compared to the stock PG?

Thanks.

LS WON